MENTAL POWERS. 87 



"responding words as well as a philosopher. And the capacity to 

 "understand is as good a proof of vocal Intelligence, though in an 

 "inferior degree, as the capacity to speak." 



Why the organs now used for speech should have been originally 

 perfected for this purpose, rather than any other organs, it is 

 not difficult to see. Ants have considerable powers of intercom- 

 munication by means of their antennse, as shown by Huber, who 

 devotes a whole chapter to their language. We might have used 

 our fingers as efficient instruments, for a person with practice 

 can report to a deaf man every word of a speech rapidly delivered 

 at a public meeting; but the loss of our hands, whilst thus em- 

 ployed, would have been a serious inconvenience. As all the 

 higher mammals possess vocal organs, constructed on the same 

 general plan as ours, and used as a means of communication, it 

 was obviously probable that these same organs would be still fur- 

 ther developed if the power of communication had to be im- 

 proved; and this has been effected by the aid of adjoining and 

 well adapted parts, namely the tongue and lips."^ The fact of 

 the higher apes not using their vocal organs for speech, no doubt 

 depends on their intelligence not having been sufficiently ad- 

 vanced. The possession by them of organs, which Virith long- 

 continued practice might have been used for speech, although 

 not thus used, is paralleled by the case of many birds which pos- 

 sess organs fitted for singing, though they never sing. Thus, the 

 nightingale and crow have vocal organs similarly constructed, 

 these being used by the former for diversified song, and by the 

 latter only for croaking."" If it be asked why apes have not had 

 their intellects developed to the same degree as that of man, 

 general causes only can be assigned in answer, and it is unreason- 

 able to expect anything more definite, considering our ignorance 

 with respect to the successive stages of development through 

 which each creature has passed. 



The formation of different languages and of distinct species, 

 and the proofs that both have been developed through a gradual 

 process, are curiously parallel." But we can trace the formation 



»= See some good remarks to this effect by Dr. Maudsley, 'The Phys- 

 iology and Pathology of Mind," 1868, p. 199. 



"" Macgillivray, 'Hist, of British Birds," vol. 11. 1839, p. 29. An excel- 

 lent observer, Mr. Blackwall remarks that the magpie learns to pro- 

 nounce single words, and even short sentences, more readily than 

 almost any other British bird; yet, as he adds, after long and clcsely 

 investigating its habits, he has never known it in a state of nature, 

 display any unusual capacity for imitation. 'Researches in Zoology,' 

 1834, p. 158. 



" See the very interesting parallelism between the development of 

 species and languages, given by Sir C. Lyell in 'The Geolog. Evidences 

 of the Antiquity of Man,' 1863, chap, xxiil. 



