﻿Report 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Geologist, 
  875 
  

  

  elusion 
  has 
  been 
  reached 
  by 
  Collignon 
  who 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  We 
  remark, 
  

   indeed, 
  that 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  deduced 
  from 
  the 
  conformationof 
  the 
  

   bone 
  of 
  the 
  leg 
  an 
  habitual 
  state 
  of 
  flexion 
  of 
  this 
  member 
  and, 
  

   consequently, 
  a 
  gait 
  less 
  erect 
  and 
  easy 
  than 
  that 
  of 
  present 
  man 
  

   and 
  which 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  biceps 
  and 
  the 
  del- 
  

   toid, 
  proven 
  by 
  the 
  strong 
  projections 
  of 
  their 
  insertions, 
  would 
  

   indicate 
  a 
  certain 
  aptitude 
  for 
  climbing" 
  * 
  

  

  We 
  may 
  reasonably 
  predict 
  that, 
  in 
  future 
  discoveries, 
  the 
  

   more 
  ancient 
  remains 
  will, 
  in 
  general, 
  show 
  the 
  greater 
  number 
  

   of 
  cases 
  of 
  platycnemism 
  and 
  of 
  associated 
  characters, 
  while 
  

   these 
  will 
  slowly 
  but 
  gradually 
  disappear 
  from 
  the 
  more 
  pro- 
  

   gressive 
  peoples. 
  Their 
  persistence 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  races 
  seems 
  to 
  

   be 
  due, 
  not 
  so 
  much 
  to 
  the 
  longer 
  continuance 
  of 
  the 
  habit, 
  which 
  

   originally 
  induced 
  them, 
  but 
  to 
  the 
  failure 
  upon 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  

   these 
  people 
  to 
  acquire 
  other 
  habits, 
  which 
  would 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  

   obliteration 
  of 
  these 
  characters. 
  These 
  occurrences 
  above 
  noted 
  

   seem 
  to 
  me 
  inexplicable 
  upon 
  any 
  theory 
  of 
  individual 
  acquisi- 
  

   tion, 
  but 
  to 
  be 
  exactly 
  what 
  is 
  demanded 
  by 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  

   inheritance 
  and 
  reversion. 
  

  

  b. 
  Development. 
  — 
  Striking 
  corroborative 
  evidence 
  of 
  man's 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  passed 
  through 
  such 
  an 
  arboreal 
  stage 
  is 
  given 
  by 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  

   foetal 
  and 
  infant 
  life. 
  The 
  children 
  of 
  such 
  people 
  would 
  

   undoubtedly 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  assisted 
  from 
  the 
  ground 
  to 
  the 
  branches 
  

   until 
  they 
  had 
  obtained 
  a 
  considerable 
  size. 
  They 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  

   carried 
  in 
  the 
  usual 
  way, 
  but 
  would 
  be 
  forced 
  to 
  cling 
  to 
  the 
  

   body 
  of 
  the 
  parent, 
  most 
  naturally 
  about 
  the 
  neck 
  of 
  the 
  

   mother. 
  The 
  3 
  oung 
  would 
  become 
  adapted 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  habit, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  to 
  clinging 
  to 
  the 
  boughs 
  after 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  transported 
  

   to 
  the 
  trees. 
  This 
  would 
  call 
  for 
  special 
  modification 
  of 
  the 
  

   arms, 
  hands 
  and 
  feet. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  foetus 
  eight 
  and 
  one-half 
  inches 
  high 
  the 
  arms 
  are 
  longer 
  

   than 
  the 
  legs, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  erect 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  fingers 
  

   reach 
  to 
  the 
  knee.f 
  At 
  birth 
  the 
  arms 
  are 
  shorter 
  than 
  the 
  

   legs, 
  but 
  still 
  relatively 
  longer 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  adult, 
  and 
  over 
  them 
  

   the 
  infant 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  exercise 
  a 
  control 
  which 
  it 
  acquires 
  over 
  the 
  

   legs 
  only 
  much 
  later. 
  The 
  grip 
  of 
  a 
  young 
  infant 
  is 
  surprising 
  

   and 
  enables 
  it, 
  almost 
  from 
  the 
  moment 
  of 
  birth, 
  to 
  support 
  its 
  

  

  * 
  Revue 
  <T 
  Anthropologic, 
  Paris, 
  2nd 
  ser., 
  vol. 
  iii, 
  1880, 
  p 
  146. 
  

   t 
  Huxley 
  in 
  "Vertebrates," 
  pp. 
  417-18. 
  

  

  