188 DARWINISM STATED BY DARWIN HIMSELF. 



tions. The strong tendency in our nearest allies, the 

 monkeys, in microcephalous idiots, and in the barbarous 

 races of mankind, to imitate -vrhateTer they hear, deserves 

 notice, as bearing on the subject of imitation. Since 

 monkeys certainly understand much that is said to them 

 by man, and, when wild, utter signal-cries of danger to 

 their fellows ; and since fowls give distinct warnings for 

 danger on the ground, or in the sky from hawks (both, 

 as well as a third cry, intelligible to dogs), may not some 

 unusually wise ape-like animal have imitated the growl 

 of a beast of prey, and thus told his fellow-monkeys the 

 nature of the expected danger ? This would have been 

 a first step in the formation of a language. 



As the voice was used more and more, the vocal organs 

 would have been strengthened and perfected through the 

 principle of the inherited effects of use ; and this would 

 have reacted on the power of speech. 



The fact of the higher apes not using their 

 vocal organs for speech no doubt depends on 

 their intelligence not having been sufficiently advanced. 

 The possession by them of organs, which with long-con- 

 tinued practice might have been used for speech, although 

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

 which possess 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. 



DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGES AND SPECIES COMPARED. 



Descent "^^^ formation of different languages and 



of Man, of distinct species and the proofs that both 

 page 90. hsLYG been developed through a gradual pro- 

 cess are curiously parallel. But we can trace the forma- 



