are the existing Catarrhine monkeys in one way and the Platyrrhines in
another way, but would have resembled in this respect the allied
Lemuridae, which differ greatly from each other in the form of their
muzzles (15. Messrs. Murie and Mivart on the Lemuroidea, Transactions,
Zoological Society, vol. vii, 1869, p. 5.), and to an extraordinary
degree in their dentition.
The Catarrhine and Platyrrhine monkeys agree in a multitude of
characters, as is shewn by their unquestionably belonging to one and
the same Order. The many characters which they possess in common can
hardly have been independently acquired by so many distinct species; so
that these characters must have been inherited. But a naturalist would
undoubtedly have ranked as an ape or a monkey, an ancient form which
possessed many characters common to the Catarrhine and Platyrrhine
monkeys, other characters in an intermediate condition, and some few,
perhaps, distinct from those now found in either group. And as man from
a genealogical point of view belongs to the Catarrhine or Old World
stock, we must conclude, however much the conclusion may revolt our
pride, that our early progenitors would have been properly thus
designated. (16. Haeckel has come to this same conclusion. See Uber
die Entstehung des Menschengeschlechts, in Virchow s Sammlung.
gemein. wissen. Vortrage, 1868, s. 61. Also his Naturliche
Schopfungsgeschichte, 1868, in which he gives in detail his views on
the genealogy of man.) But we must not fall into the error of supposing
that the early progenitor of the whole Simian stock, including man, was
identical with, or even closely resembled, any existing ape or monkey.
ON THE BIRTHPLACE AND ANTIQUITY OF MAN.
We are naturally led to enquire, where was the birthplace of man at
that stage of descent when our progenitors diverged from the Catarrhine
stock? The fact that they belonged to this stock clearly shews that
they inhabited the Old World; but not Australia nor any oceanic island,
as we may infer from the laws of geographical distribution. In each
great region of the world the living mammals are closely related to the
extinct species of the same region. It is therefore probable that
Africa was formerly inhabited by extinct apes closely allied to the
gorilla and chimpanzee; and as these two species are now man s nearest
allies, it is somewhat more probable that our early progenitors lived
on the African continent than elsewhere. But it is useless to speculate
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