THE SCAFFOLDING 'LEFT IX THE BODY. 93 



may seem disappointing to the evolutionist. But the 

 want of a tail argues more for the theory of Evolution 

 than its presence would have done. For all the 

 anthropoids most allied to Man have long since also 

 parted with theirs. 



With regard to the presence of Hair on the body, 

 and its disposition and direction, some curious facts 

 may be noticed. No one, until Evolution supplied the 

 impulse to a fresh study of the commonplace, thought 

 it worth while to study such trifles as the presence of 

 hair on the fingers and hands, and the slope of the 

 hair on the arms. But now that attention is called to 

 it, every detail 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 king- 

 dom, 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 Wallace, 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 continued 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 hi man. We 



