THE EVOLUTION OF A MOTHER 345 



those who seek their doom. But as we draw nearer 

 the apex of the animal kingdom, the spectacle of 

 a protective Maternity looms into view. At what 

 precise point it begins it is difficult to say. But 

 that it does not begin at once, that there is a 

 long and gradual Evolution of Maternity, is clear. 

 From casual observation, and from popular books, 

 it might be inferred that care of offspring — we can- 

 not yet speak of affection — is characteristic of the 

 whole field of Nature. On the contrary, it is 

 doubtful whether in the Invertebrate half of Nature 

 it exists at all. If it does it is very rare ; and in 

 the Vertebrates it is met with only exceptionally 

 till we reach the two highest classes. What does 

 exist, and sometimes in marvellous perfection, is 

 care for eggs ; but that is a wholly different thing, 

 both in its physical and psychical aspect, from love 

 of offspring. The truth is, Nature so made animals 

 in the early days that they did not need Mothers. 

 The moment they were born they looked after 

 themselves, and were perfectly able to look after 

 themselves. Mothers in these days would have been 

 a superfluity. All that Nature worked at at that 

 dawning date was Maternity in a physical sense — 

 Motherhood came as a later and a rarer growth. 

 The children of those days were not really children 

 at all ; they were only offspring, springers off, 



