The Origin of Adaptive Movements 57 



Indeed, we may well go still further and say that the 

 case is easier for him when we take into account the 

 phenomenon of social heredity. In children, for example, 

 there are great variations in mobility, plasticity, etc. — in 

 short, in the ease of operation of social heredity as seen in 

 the acquisition of particular functions. Children are noto- 

 riously different in their aptitudes for acquiring speech, for 

 example ; some learn faster, better, and more. Let us say 

 that this is true in animal companies generally ; then 

 the most plastic individuals zvill be preserved to do the 

 adva7itageoits things for ivhich their variations shozv them 

 to be the most fit. And the next generation will sJiozv an 

 empJiasis of just this direction in its variations. So the 

 fact of social acquisition — ■ the fact of acute use of conscious- 

 ness in ontogeny — becomes an element in phylogeny, also, 

 even on the Darwinian theory. 



Besides, when we remember that the permanence of a 

 habit learned by one individual is largely conditioned by 

 the learning of the same habits by others (notably of the 

 opposite sex) in the same environment, we see that an 

 enormous premium must have been put on variations of a 

 social kind — those which brought different individuals into 

 some kind of joint action or cooperation. Wherever this 

 appeared, not only would habits be maintained, but new 

 variations, having all the force of double hereditary ten- 

 dency, might also be expected. But consciousness is, of 

 course, the prime variation through which cooperation is 

 secured. All of which means, if it be true, that the rise 

 of consciousness is of direct help to the Darwinian in 

 accounting for race habits — notably those which are in 

 some degree gregarious, cooperative, or social. 



3. (7 of Cope's table.) ' The rational mind is developed 



