THE DESCENT OF MAN; 



SELECTION IN EELATION TO SEX. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The nature of the following work will be best understood by a 

 brief account of how it came to be written. During many years 

 I CL/Ilected notes on the origin or descent of man, without any 

 inteation of publishing on the subject, but rather with the 

 determination not to publish, as I thought that I should thus 

 only add to the prejudices against my views. It seemed to me 

 Bufl£cient to indicate, in the first edition of my ' Origin of 

 Species,' that by this work " light would be thrown on the 

 " origin of man and his history;" and this imphes that man must 

 be included with other organic beings in any general conclusion 

 respecting his manner of appearance on this earth. Now the 

 case wears a wholly different aspect. When a naturalist hke 

 Carl Vogt ventures to say in his address as President of the 

 National Institution of Geneva (1869), "personne, en Europe 

 " au moins, n'ose plus soutenir la creation independante et de 

 " toutes pieces, des especes," it is manifest that at least a large 

 number of naturalists must admit that species are the modified 

 descendants of other species ; and this especially holds good with 

 the younger and rising naturalists. The greater number accept 

 the agency of natural selection ; though some urge, whether with 

 (Tistice the future must decide, that I have greatly overrated its 

 importance. Of the older and honoured chiefs in natural science, 

 many unfortunately are still opposed to evolution in every 

 form. 



In consequence of the views now adopted by most naturalists, 

 and which will ultimately, as in every other case, be followed bj 

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