THE DESCENT OF MAN; 
AND ON 
SELECTION IN RELATION TO SEX. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The nature of the following work will be best under- 
stood by a brief account of how it came to be written. 
During many years I collected notes on the origin or 
descent of man, without any intention 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 suffi- 
cient to indicate, in the first edition of my ‘ Origin of 
Species, 5 that by this work “ light would be thrown on 
“ the origin of man and his history and this implies 
that man must be included with other organic beings in 
any general conclusion respecting his manner of appear- 
ance on this earth. Now the case wears a wholly dif- 
ferent aspect. When a naturalist like Carl Yogt ven- 
tures to say in his address as President of the National 
Institution of Geneva (1869), “ personne, en Europe 
“ au moms, n’ose plus soutenir la creation independante 
“ et de toutes pieces, des especes, 55 it is manifest that at 
least a large number of naturalists must admit that 
species are the modified descendants of other species ; 
VOL. i. 
B 
