120 THE DESCENT OF MAN 



peculiar to man; but he uses, in common witli the lower 

 animals, inarticulate cries to express his meaning, aided by 

 gestures and the movements of the muscles of the face." 

 This especially holds good with the more simple and vivid 

 feelings, which are but little connected with our higher in- 

 telligence. Our cries of pain, fear, surprise, anger, together 

 with their appropriate actions, and the murmur of a mother 

 to her beloved child, are more expressive than any words. 

 That which distinguishes man from the lower animals is 

 not the understanding of articulate sounds, for, as every one 

 knows, dogs understand many words and sentences. In this 

 respect they are at the same stage of development as infants 

 between the ages of ten and twelve months, who understand 

 many words and short sentences, but cannot yet utter a 

 single word. It is not the mere articulation which is our 

 distinguishing character, for parrots and other birds possess 

 this power. Nor is it the mere capacity of connecting defi- 

 nite sounds with definite ideas; for it is certain that some 

 parrots which have been taxight to speak connect unerringly 

 words with things, and persons with events.'" The lower 

 animals differ from man solely in his almost infinitely larger 

 power of associating together the most diversified sounds 

 and ideas ; and this obviously depends on the high devel- 

 opment of his mental powers. 



As Home Took, one of the founders of the noble science 



" See a discussion on this subject in Mr. E. B. Tylor's very interesting 

 work, "Eesearches into the Early History of Mankind," 1865, chaps, ii. to iv. 



'^ I have received several detailed apcounts to this effect. Admiral Sir 

 J. Sullivan, whom I know to be a careful observer, assures me that an African 

 parrot, long kept in his father's house, invariably called certain persons of the 

 household, as well as visitors, by their names. He said "G-ood-morning" to 

 every one at breakfast, and "Good-night" to each as they left the room 

 at night, and never reversed these salutations. To Sir J. Sullivan's father, he 

 used to add to the "Good-morning" a short sentence, which was never once 

 repeated after his father's death. He scolded violently a strange dog which 

 came into the room through the open window ; and he scolded another parrot 

 (saying "Tou naughty poUy") which had got out of its cage, and was eating 

 apples on the kitchen table. See also, to the same effect, Houzeau on, parrots, 

 "Eacultes Mentales," torn. ii. p. 309. Dr. A. Moschkau informs me that he 

 knew a starling which never made a mistake in saying in German "Good- 

 morning" to persons arriving, and "Good-by, old fellow," to those departing. 

 I could add several other such cases. 



