The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to SexDarwin, Charles
History
The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex
Darwin, Charles
Evolution (Biology); Human beings -- Origin; Sex differences; Sexual dimorphism (Animals); Sexual selection in animals
Although, as we have now seen, man has no just right to form a separate
Order for his own reception, he may perhaps claim a distinct Sub-order
or Family. Prof. Huxley, in his last work (11. ‘An Introduction to the
Classification of Animals,’ 1869, p. 99.), divides the primates into
three Sub-orders; namely, the Anthropidae with man alone, the Simiadae
including monkeys of all kinds, and the Lemuridae with the diversified
genera of lemurs. As far as differences in certain important points of
structure are concerned, man may no doubt rightly claim the rank of a
Sub-order; and this rank is too low, if we look chiefly to his mental
faculties. Nevertheless, from a genealogical point of view it appears
that this rank is too high, and that man ought to form merely a Family,
or possibly even only a Sub-family. If we imagine three lines of
descent proceeding from a common stock, it is quite conceivable that
two of them might after the lapse of ages be so slightly changed as
still to remain as species of the same genus, whilst the third line
might become so greatly modified as to deserve to rank as a distinct
Sub-family, Family, or even Order. But in this case it is almost
certain that the third line would still retain through inheritance
numerous small points of resemblance with the other two. Here, then,
would occur the difficulty, at present insoluble, how much weight we
ought to assign in our classifications to strongly-marked differences
in some few points,—that is, to the amount of modification undergone;
and how much to close resemblance in numerous unimportant points, as
indicating the lines of descent or genealogy. To attach much weight to
the few but strong differences is the most obvious and perhaps the
safest course, though it appears more correct to pay great attention to
the many small resemblances, as giving a truly natural classification.
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