HUMAN RESEMBLANCES TO LOWER LIFE. 9 



and then we meet with an individual who can fulfil one of Lord 

 Dundreary's tests of superiority in that he "can wag his left ear," and 

 can move his right ear also. At will, such individuals can produce 

 feeble though distinct movements of the ear. This power depends 

 upon an unusual development of muscles which, in ordinary indi- 

 viduals, exist in a rudimentary state. The ability to move the ear is 

 held to be a relic of a power once well developed in the ancestry 

 from which the human race has sprung. Darwin tells us that he saw 

 " one man who could draw the whole ear forwards ; other men," he 

 continues, "can draw it upwards," another "could draw it back- 

 wards ; " and, adds Mr.. Darwin, "from what one of these persons told 

 me, it is probable that most of us, by often touching our ears, and 

 thus directing our attention towards them, could recover some power 

 of movement by repeated trials." Three little muscles, named in 

 anatomy the attolens, attrahens, and retrahens aitrem, respectively (or 

 the u raiser," " forward-drawer," and " back-drawer " of the ear), are 

 found associated with the outer ear in man. They are so small as to 

 be useless for any purpose of ear-movement, as we have seen; but 

 that their former and ancestral function was that of moving the ears 

 admits of no question. In lower animals, we find corresponding 

 muscles well developed; whilst we may also discover additional 

 muscles to be represented in the belongings of the ears of many 

 quadrupeds. In the ear of the horse there are such additional 

 muscles ; and we can readily conceive that the wonderful pliability 

 and range of movement of the outer ear in this and other animals 

 would demand an increased muscular supply over that found in higher 

 quadruped life, where ear- movement becomes of less importance than 

 in lower existence. Thus we discover that in such apes as the 

 chimpanzee and orang, whose ears closely resemble those of man in 

 form, the ear-muscles are well-nigh as feebly developed as in the 

 human subject; and the ears of these animals do not appear to be 

 capable of any greater range of movement than is exhibited by man. 

 But the ear-muscles do not constitute the only muscular anomalies 

 to be found within the human domain. In the belongings of man's 

 nose are to be found certain feeble or useless muscles, which are, 

 however, well developed in lower quadrupeds. For example, there 

 exist within the confines of human anatomy, muscles which can par- 

 tially close our nostrils. The complete command of these muscles 

 over the nostrils has been lost ; but in such an animal as the seal, 

 which in diving requires to close its nostrils firmly against the 

 entrance of water, the corresponding muscles are very largely deve- 

 loped. Another interesting peculiarity of our muscular system con- 

 sists in the comparatively feeble and rudimentary development of 

 these muscles, which belong to the category of so-called " skin-muscles." 

 These latter organs derive their name from the fact that they possess 



