MONKEY HAND-PRINTS 153 



fingers of the monkey. In regard to the pads on the 

 palm and sole, these are subject to some degree of variation 

 in the carnivora, and they may sometimes coalesce to such 

 a degree that their original relations are more or less 

 obscured. But in some of these animals * three distinct 

 pads are observable in the forefoot corresponding in position 

 with the interdigital eminences of the monkey's palm. 

 Continuing the semicircle formed by these three is a fourth 

 pad, representing the radial eminence of the monkey, while 

 farther down on the palm is one corresponding to the 

 ulnar eminence of the latter ; a small additional pad being 

 intercalated between the radial and the ulnar pads. 



It is thus fully demonstrated that the pads on the fore- 

 foot of the dog and the cat correspond with the pattern- 

 bearing eminences of the monkey's palm, and these again 

 with the much less distinctly defined eminences on the 

 human hand. In animals which use both feet exclusively 

 for walking, it will, however, be obvious that delicate 

 papillary ridges, designed partly for the purpose of obtaining 

 a firm grip on any object seized, and partly to act as 

 organs of touch, would be perfectly useless. And we 

 accordingly find the papillary ridges of man and monkeys 

 replaced in the cat, the dog, and the rabbit by granular 

 conical elevations, which have, however, doubtless the same 

 structure, and are foreshadowed by the pustules on the 

 fingers and palms of the lemurs. 



One other point remains to be mentioned. In all the 

 lower monkeys that have been examined both by Dr. 

 Hepburn and myself the pattern of the papillary ridges 



* Those who are interested in the subject may turn to the figure 

 of the footpads of the Linsang, given by the late Prof. Mivart 

 on p. 158 of the Proceedings of the Zoological Society for the 

 year 1882. 



