EVIDENCES FROM MORPHOLOGY 



155 



tions on page 153 (Fig. 26) serve to show the muscles in question, 

 when thus found in adult man. 



6. Vermiform appendix of the coecum. — This is of large size and 

 functional use in the process of digestion among many herbivorous 

 animals; while in man it is not only too small to serve any such 

 purpose, but is even a source of danger to life — many persons dying 

 every year from inflammation set up by the lodgement in this blind 

 tube of fruit-stones, etc. 



In the orang it is longer than in man (Fig. 27), as it is also in the 

 human foetus proportionally compared with the adult (Fig. 28). In 

 some of the lower herbivorous animals it is longer than the entire body. 



Like the vestigial structures in general, however, this one is 

 highly variable. Thus Figure 28 serves to show that it may some- 

 times be almost as short in the orang as it normally is in man — both 

 the human subjects of this illustration having been normal. 



7. Ear. — Mr. Darwin writes: 



^'The celebrated sculptor, Mr. Woolner, informs me of one little 

 peculiarity in the external ear, which he has often observed both in 



men and women The peculiarity consists in a little blunt 



point, projecting from the inwardly folded margin, or helix. When 

 present, it is developed at birth, and according to Professor Ludwig 

 Meyer, more frequently in man than in woman. 

 Mr. Woolner made an exact model of one such 

 case, and sent me the accompanying draw- 

 ing [Fig. 29] The helix obviously con- 

 sists of the extreme margin of the ear folded 

 inwards; and the folding appears to be in /f^ 

 some manner connected with the whole external 

 ear being permanently pressed backwards. In 

 many monkeys, which do not stand high in 

 the order as baboons and some species of 

 macacus, the upper portion of the ear is slightly 

 pointed, and the margin is not at all folded 

 inwards; but if the margin were to be thus 

 folded, a slight point would necessarily pro- 

 ject towards the centre In Figure 30 



is shown an accurate copy of a photograph 



of the foetus of an orang (kindly sent me by Dr. Nitsche), in 

 which it may be seen how different the ])oinled outhne of the car is 

 at this period from its adult condition, when it bears a close general 



Fig. 29. — Human ear, 

 modeled and drawn by 

 Mr. Woolner. a, the pro- 

 jecting point. {From Ro- 

 manes.) 



