THE CHILD AS GIVEN BY NATURE 45 



the growth of this hair on various parts of the 

 body is precisely like that on the corresponding 

 parts of the bodies of apes and monkeys; for 

 example, from the shoulder to the elbow the hair 

 points down, from the wrist to the elbow the di- 

 rection is reversed. This hair usually falls off 

 before birth, though occasionally it persists on 

 the scalp for some time, to be replaced later by 

 the growth that is characteristic of men. 



"At about this time the hands and the feet 

 of the fetus are practically alike, the great toe 

 being shorter than the others and projecting at 

 an angle, as in the case of apes. Through several 

 of the stages the fetus has a clearly defined tail, 

 and at one period it is longer than the legs, as 

 in some of the highest mammals. Throughout 

 these various stages of prenatal development the 

 brain and the nervous system show very close 

 likeness to those of the animals of the correspond- 

 ing levels. 



"Even at birth the body of the child in some 

 particulars resembles that of the ape more than 

 that of the adult man. ... In some of the early 

 instincts the likeness between the child and the 

 lower animals is quite marked. Especially re- 

 markable is the fact that for a few weeks, begin- 

 ning a few hours after birth, the child will sup- 

 port its entire weight for periods lasting from a 

 few seconds to nearly two minutes by clinging 

 with the hands to a cane or similar object. The 

 power to do this is soon lost, and does not re- 



