2 THE DESCENT OF MAN, 



followed by others who are not scientific, I have been led to 

 put together my notes, so as to see how far the general con- 

 clusions arrived at in my former works were applicable to 

 man. This seemed all the more desirable, as I had never 

 deliberately applied these views to a species taken singly. 

 AVhen we confine our attention to any one form, we are de- 

 prived of the weighty arguments derived from the nature 

 of the afiinities which connect together whole groups of 

 organisms their geographical distribution in past and pres- 

 ent times, and their geological succession. The homologi- 

 cal structure, embryological development, and rudimentary 

 organs of a species remain to be considered, whether it be 

 man or any other animal, to which our attention may be 

 directed; but these great classes of facts afford, as it ap- 

 pears to me, ample and conclusive evidence in favor of the 

 principle of gradual evolution. The strong support derived 

 from the other arguments should, however, always be kept 

 before the mind. 



The sole object of this work is to consider, firstly, 

 whether man, like every other species, is descended from 

 some pre-existing form; secondly, the manner of his devel- 

 opment; and thirdly, the value of the differences between 

 the so-called races of man. As I shall confine myself to 

 these points, it will not be necessary to describe in detail 

 the differences between the several races an enormous sub- 

 ject which has been fully discussed in many valuable works. 

 The high antiquity of man has recently been demonstrated 

 by the labors of a host of eminent men, beginning with M. 

 Boucher de Perthes; and this is the indispensable basis for 

 understanding his origin. I shall, therefore, take this 

 conclusion for granted, and may refer my readers to the 

 admirable treatises of Sir Charles Lyell, Sir John Lubbock, 

 and others. Nor shall I have occasion to do more than to 

 allude to the amount of difference between man and the 

 anthropomorphous apes; for Prof. Huxley, in the opinion 

 of most competent judges, has conclusively shown that in 

 every visible character man differs less from the higher 

 apes than these do from the lower members of the same 

 order of Primates. 



This work contains hardly any original facts in regard 

 to man; but as the conclusions at which I arrived, after 

 drawing up a rough draft, appeared to me interesting, I 

 thought that they might interest others. It has often and 



