NATURAL HISTOBT — ZOOLOGY. 203 



wished not to be considered as advocating it to the extent to which 

 the author seems disposed to carry it. He rather desired to recom- 

 mend to naturalists the necessity of further inquiries, in order to fix 

 the limits within which the doctrine proposed by Mr. Darwin may 

 assist us in distinguishing varieties from species. 



Professor Huxley deprecated any discussion on the general ques- 

 tion of the truth of Mr. Darwin's theory. He felt that a general 

 audience, in which sentiment would unduly interfere with intellect, 

 was not the public before which such a discussion should be carried 

 on. Dr. Daubeny had brought forth nothing new to demand or 

 require remark. Mr. R. Dowden, of Cork, mentioned, first, two 

 instances in which plants had been disseminated by seeds, which 

 could not be effected by buds, first, in the introduction of Senicio 

 squalida, by the late Rev. W. Hincks ; and, second, in the diffusion 

 of chicory, in the vicinity of Cork, by the agency of its winged seeds. 

 He related several anecdotes of a monkey, to show that however 

 highly organized the Quadrumana might be, they were very inferior 

 in intellectual qualities to the dog, the elephant, and other animals. 

 He particularly referred to his monkey being fond of playing with a 

 hammer ; but although he liked oysters as food, he never could teach 

 him to break the oysters with his hammer as a means of indulging 

 his appetite. N Dr. Wright stated that a friend of his, who had gone 

 out to report on the habits of the gorilla — the highest form of monkey 

 — had observed that the female gorilla took its young to the sea- 

 shore for the purpose of feeding them on oysters, which they broke 

 with great facility. 



. Professor Owen said that he wished to approach this subject in the 

 spirit of the philosopher, and expressed his conviction that there were 

 facts by which the public could come to some conclusion with regard 

 to the probabilities of the truth of Mr. Darwin's theory. Whilst 

 giving all praise to Mr. Darwin for the courage with which he had 

 put forth his theory, he felt it must be tested by facts. As a con- 

 tribution to the facts, by which the theory must be tested, he would 

 refer to the structure of the highest Quadrumana as compared with 

 man. Taking the brain of the gorilla, it presented more differences, 

 as compared with the brain of man, than it did when compared with 

 the brains of the very lowest and most problematical form of the 

 Quadrumana. The differences in cerebral structure between the 

 gorilla and man were immense. The posterior lobes of the cere- 

 brum in man presented parts which were wholly absent in the 

 gorilla. The same remarkable differences of structure were seen in 

 other parts of the body; yet he would especially refer to the structure 

 of the great toe in man, which was constructed to enable him to 

 assume the upright position; whilst in the lower monkeys it was im- 

 possible, from the structure of their feet, that they should do so. He 

 concluded by urging on the physiologist the necessity of experiment. 

 The chemist, when in doubt, decided his questions by experiments ; 

 and this was what is needed by the physiologist. Professor Huxley 

 begged to be permitted to reply to Professor Owen. He denied 

 altogether that the difference between the brain of the gorilla and 



