1873.] 193 [Hagen. 



ually developed that they were all copies one from the other, either 

 reversed or not, some of course slightly altered, until the tailed man 

 was completed: the gradual modification produced in time tne car- 

 icature. 



1. The original of all is Simla or Macacus Silenus of Linne, from 

 Ceylon, rather badly figured by the old Knight Bernhard von Brey- 

 denbach, in the description of his voyage to Palestine, published in 

 1486. He was a brave but somewhat credulous man, without scien- 

 tific knowledge. 



2. The celebrated Conrad Gesner gave a reversed copy .of Brey- 

 denbach's figure in 1551, as Cercopithecus, in his Liber de Quadru- 

 pedibus. 



3. Ulysses Aldrovandus, the Italian Polyhistor, in his Liber de 

 Quadrupedibus, Digit II, copied Gesner's figure (not reversed) in 

 1637, as Cercopithecus rarce formce. 



4. Linnssus, in his Anthropomorpha, in 1 760, gave the same fig- 

 ure as Lucifer or Homo caudaius. In this figure, however, the inner 

 part of the handle of the walking-stick, in the hand of the animal, is 

 turned upwards. I believe that between Aldrovand and Linnaeus 

 there may probably exist still other copies unknown to me, and 

 bridging over the gap between them. 



5. The last copy is given by Buffon in 1 788, as tailed man. 

 After the story of the existence of tailed men was once originated, 



it was often repeated without any change, or new proof by later ob- 

 servers. This tendency to figure monkeys with somewhat human 

 features has appeared several times, as in the figure of Simia Syrichta 

 Linne, from Luzon. 



Perhaps the origin of other fabulous animals may be explained in 

 the same manner ; in the words of Condorcet, '' Remonter a la source 

 d'une erreur, c'est la refuter." 



December 17, 1873. 



A special meeting of the Council of the Society was called 

 by the President, on Dec. 15, and it was voted that the regular 

 meeting, which should have been held on Dec. 17, be omitted, 

 out of respect to the memory of Professor Louis Agassiz. 



PROCEEDINGS B. S. N. H. — VOL. XVI. 13 MARCH, 1874. 



