THE SCAFFOLDING LEFT IN THE BODY 119 



is seen to be full of meaning. In all men the 

 rudimentary hair on the arm, from the wrist to the 

 elbow, points one way, from the elbow to the 

 shoulder it points the opposite way. In the first 

 case it points upwards from the wrist towards the 

 elbow, in the other downwards from the shoulder 

 to the elbow. This occurs nowhere else in the 

 animal kingdom, except among the anthropoid 

 apes and a few American monkeys, and has to 

 do with the arboreal habit. As Mr. Romanes, 

 who has pointed this out, explains it, " When 

 sitting on trees, the Orang, as observed by Wal- 

 lace, places its hands above its head with its 

 elbows pointing downwards ; the disposition of 

 hair on the arms and fore-arms then has the effect 

 of thatch in turning the rain. Again, I find that 

 in all species of apes, monkeys, and baboons which 

 I have examined (and they have been numerous), 

 the hair on the back of the hands and feet is con- 

 tinued as far as the first row of phalanges ; but 

 becomes scanty, or disappears altogether, on the 

 second row. I also find that the same peculiarity 

 occurs in man. We have all rudimentary hair on 

 the first row of phalanges, both of hands and feet , 

 when present at all, it is more scanty on the 

 second row : and in no case have I been able to 

 find any on the terminal row. In all cases those 



