50 STUDIES IN LIFE AND SENSE. 



human. The gorilla and chimpanzee possess each 13 pairs of ribs ; 

 the gibbons may have 14 pairs ; whilst man and the orang possess but 

 12 pairs. Occasionally a thirteenth pair of ribs, however, is found 

 to be developed in the human subject. The chimpanzee, lastly, 

 most closely approaches to man in three points ; namely, in the 

 general characters of the teeth, in the characters of its skull, and in 

 the relative size of its fore limbs. All three groups of apes agree 

 with man in possessing a flat and broad breast-bone, whence is 

 derived the name of " latisternal " apes, often applied to them. It 

 is also an interesting fact that, when young, the head of the orang 

 closely resembles that of the average European infant. As adult life 

 is attained, however, the bones of the face in this ape assume their 

 characteristic shape. They become prolonged forwards, beyond the 

 brain-case ; whilst in the human subject the face does not undergo any 

 marked elongation, and, as already noted, is overshadowed by the brain. 

 The foregoing description of the chief -divisions of the monkey- 

 group will serve to familiarise us with the natural constitution 

 of the Quadrumanous family, and will also enable us to study to 

 greater advantage the important question of the mental attributes 

 and general mental development of these interesting animals. A 

 naturalist, whose opinions are deservedly treated with the respect 

 with which his eminence as a scientist naturally invests his ideas, 

 has recently declared that the monkey-race as a whole is much too 

 highly placed in the group of quadrupeds. The writer in question, 

 Mr. A. R. Wallace, remarks, that whilst the monkeys form an isolated 

 group of animals, they also show relations to the lower mammals. 

 Mr. Wallace also adds, that these relations open up the question 

 whether the position of the monkeys at the head of the mammals 

 " is a real superiority, or whether it depends merely on the obvious 

 relationship to ourselves. If," continues Mr. Wallace, " we could 

 suppose a being gifted with high intelligence, but with a form totally 

 unlike that of man, to have visited the earth before man existed in 

 order to study the various forms of animal life that were found there, 

 we can hardly think he would have placed the monkey-tribe so high 

 as we do. He would observe that their whole organisation was 

 specially adapted to an arboreal life, and this specialisation would be 

 rather against their claiming the first rank among terrestrial creatures. 

 Neither in size, nor strength, nor beauty," continues Mr. Wallace, 

 " would they compare with many other forms ; while in intelligence 

 they would not surpass, even if they equalled, the horse or the 

 beaver. The Carnivora, as a whole, would certainly be held to sur- 

 pass them in the exquisite perfection of their physical structure, 

 while the flexible trunk of the elephant, combined with his vast 

 strength and admirable sagacity, would probably gain for him the 

 first rank in the animal creation." 



