126 THE DESCENT OP MAN. 



It deserves notice that, as soon as the progenitors of man be- 

 came social (and this probably occurred at a very early period), 

 the principle of imitation, and reason, and experience would have 

 increased, and much modified the, intellectual powers in a way, 

 of which we see only traces in the lower animals. Apes are 

 much given to imitation, as are the lowest savages; and the 

 simple fact previously referred to, that after a time no animal 

 can be caught in the same place by the same sort of trap, shows 

 that animals learn by experience, and imitate the caution of 

 others. Now, if some one man in a tribe, more sagacious than 

 the others, invented a new snare or weapon, or other means of 

 attack or defense, the plainest self-interest, without the assistance 

 of much reasoning power, would prompt the other members to 

 imitate him; and all would thus profit. The habitual practice 

 of each new art must likewise in some slight degree strengthen 

 the intellect. If the new invention were an important one, the 

 tribe would increase in number, spread, and supplant other tribes. 

 In a tribe thus rendered more numerous there would always be 

 a rather greater chance of the birth of other superior and in- 

 ventive members. If such men left children to inherit their men- 

 tal superiority, the chance of the birth of still more ingenious 

 members would be somewhat better, and in a very small tribe 

 decidedly better. Even if theyi left no children, the tribe would 

 still include their blood-relations; and it has been ascertained 

 by agriculturists" that by preserving and breeding from the 

 family of an animal, which when slaughtered was found to be 

 valuable, the desired character has been obtained. 



Turning now to the social and moral faculties. In order that 

 primeval men, or the ape-like progenitors of man, should become 

 social, they must have acquired the same instinctive feelings, 

 which impel other animals to live in a body; and they no doubt 

 exhibited the same general disposition. They would have felt 

 uneasy when separated from their comrades, for whom they 

 would have felt some degree of love; they would have warned 

 each other of danger, and have given mutual aid in attack or 

 defense. All this implies some degree of sympathy, fidelity, and 

 courage. Such social qualities, the paramount importance of 

 which to the lower animals is disputed by no one, were no doubt 

 acquired by the progenitors of man in a similar manner, namely, 

 through natural selection, aided by inherited habit. V/hen two 

 tribes of primeval man, living in the same country, came into 

 competition, if (other circumstances being equal) the one tribe 

 included a great number of courageous, sympathetic and faithful 



* I have given instances in my 'Variation of AnimaJs under Domesti- 

 cation,' vol. ii. p. 196. 



