18 ANDREW JACKSON HOWE. 



approaches man in many features, and that a few hu- 

 man characteristics are to be observed in every species 

 of the monkey tribe, the reason for not trying to find 

 the particular ape from which it has been alleged that 

 man sprung, becomes apparent. It would seem as if 

 some one of the great apes should embody and per- 

 sonate the highest attributes of the anthropoids, yet 

 in many respects the smaller monkeys are the nearest 

 to man in resemblances. The twinkling eyes and mo- 

 bile features of the little Sapajou strangely remind us 

 of a creature capable of caricaturing our very selves. 

 We wonder how such creatures can be so near hu- 

 man, yet so far fall short of the mark ! 



The Darwinian assumption in regard to the Sim- 

 ian origin of the human race has taken such a deep 

 hold upon the popular mind that many people believe 

 a monkey is nearer a man than a careful analysis of 

 the apish organization proves it to be. In the first 

 place, it is a common mistake to suppose that an ape 

 is quadrumanous, or four handed. The creature is 

 generally arboreal in its habits, and, therefore, needs 

 grasping feet to cling to the branches of trees. In 

 some species of monkeys the tail is developed into a 

 prehensile organ. Man may be properly denominated 

 " bimanous," yet not in contrast with " quadruma- 

 nous " animals, for none such exist. The posterior 

 limbs of all the Simian family terminate in feet. 

 The toes and hallux may possess the grasping func- 

 tions of a hand, yet anatomically considered, each 

 pelvic extremity ends in a foot. It would be as erro- 

 neous to say that an opossum was four-handed as to 

 aver that a monkey is quadrumanous. The great toe 

 of an ape diverges from the lesser toes, as the hallux 

 does in many of the marsupial animals; and in several 



