Chapter I: Preface

The Great War imposed on speculative biology a moratorium as in the long vacation of lawyers, in which are causes left over to the next term. And so the old case Lamarck _versus_ Weismann was not heard in the Courts of Science during the war. In the present term it is due to be heard afresh, and at some future date to come up for settlement. The chapters that follow comprise some of the pleadings on behalf of the plaintiff and are part of the brief of a junior counsel. This adjective, alas! signifies not the years--for such are often old enough to be the fathers of the leaders--but the standing and attainments of a junior. But in the open Court of Science, and on suited occasions, it may be the business of a junior to question, in the interests of his client, the authority even of Attorneys-General and Lords Chief Justice. In matters of thought and inquiry it is useless to retreat within a stronghold and bar the gates. It may be satisfactory to himself for one Milner to write a book on behalf of a certain body of doctrine and call it _The End of Controversy_, but the book should have held the sub-title _The End of Progress_. The Newtons, Pasteurs and Darwins have seldom wielded the weapon of controversy, though the triumph of _The Origin of Species_ would have been slower without the aid of Darwin’s brilliant champion and candid friend. But, if the leaders seldom need such help, for the Gibeonite it is a matter of course and simple necessity. With all the urbanity due to the great subject-matter should this pleasant duty be performed. Who would not prefer to the fierce Spaniard the genial Portuguese, discussing all subjects without rancour, and lover of bull-fights though he be, taking care to wrap in cork the horns of his fighting bulls?

The earlier chapters treat of the arrangement of the mammalian hair, which has occupied my attention for over twenty years, and this has led straight to the other subjects, because of their bearing on Lamarckism and Initiative in Evolution. The tentative conclusions reached years ago have been strengthened by further knowledge and reflection, and perhaps by certain criticisms. The furrow ploughed may have been lonely, but the pursuit has not been without the mild pleasure of seeing fresh scattered portions of the field coming into their natural order. The resulting state of mind resembles that of a certain Mr. Burke recorded in the annals of a golf club, second to none, the Ancient, and now Royal Blackheath, among whose minutes appears the following:--

“20th September, 1834.

Present, Mr. Burke, _Solus_.

The dinner was good, wine abundant, and the utmost harmony prevailed.
The want of grouse was severely felt this day.”

It is written on page 101 of the _Chronicles of Blackheath Golfers_.

My debt to such writings as those of Professors Arthur Keith, Woods Jones, Graham Kerr, and Professors Sherrington, Starling, Schäfer, McDougall and Ward is too obvious to the reader to need more than a bare mention.

I have to thank one critic, Miss Inez Whipple, now Mrs. H. Wilder Harris, for her able if hostile criticism of two former books of mine which has been of use in this one; and Mr. R. E. Holding for good help extending over many years in the preparation of the illustrations, and for many a good suggestion.

W.K.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER PAGE

I.--From Known to Unknown 1

II.--Review of the Position 8

III.--The Problems Presented 22

IV.--Initial Variations and Total Experience 30

V.--Method of Proof 36

VI.--Evidence from Arrangement of Hair 39

VII.--The Evolution of Patterns of Hair 50

VIII.--Can Muscular Action change the Direction
of Hair in the Individual? 64

IX.--Habits and Hair of Ungulates 74

X.--Habits and Hair of Ungulates 86

XI.--Habits and Hair of Carnivores 92

XII.--Habits and Hair of Carnivores 98

XIII.--Habits and Hair of Primates 103

XIV.--Miscellaneous Examples 115

XV.--Experimental 124

XVI.--First Summary 140

XVII.--Varieties of Epidermis 145

XVIII.--Arrangement of the Papillary Ridges 157

XIX.--Flexures of the Palm and Sole 170

XX.--The Evolution of a Bursa 178

XXI.--The Plantar Arch 192

XXII.--Muscles 200

XXIII.--Innervation of the Human Skin 218

XXIV.--The Building of Reflex Arcs 231

SUMMARY 257

INDEX 259

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

FIG. PAGE

1 Arrangement of hair on the forearm 42

2 Diagrams of hair-patterns 51

3, 4, 5 Neck of horse, showing muscles and tendons 53, 54

6–19 Side of neck of various horses, showing
varieties of hair-patterns 56–62

20–29 Illustrations of human eyebrows, showing
muscular action and hair-direction 70–73

30 Front view of horse, showing pectoral pattern 76

31 Side view of horse showing hair-direction 77

32, 32a Frontal region of horses, showing muscles and
hair-pattern 78

33 Side view of horse, showing chief superficial
muscles 79

34, 35 Side and back views of cow, showing
hair-patterns on back 88

36 Lioness, showing direction of hair-streams on
muzzle 93

37 Back of lion, showing hair-pattern 95

38–40 Gluteal region, foreleg and chest of
domestic dog, showing hair-direction 99, 101

41 Arrangement of hair on back of lemur,
chimpanzee and man 105

42 _Idem_ chest 109

43 Giraffe, showing hair-patterns of neck 116

44 Giraffe in attitude of drinking or browsing
off the ground 117

45 Bongo, showing hair-patterns of chest 119

46 Kiang. Side view showing inguinal and
axillary patterns 121

47 Forefoot of llama, showing hair-direction 122

48 Two-toed sloth, showing action of gravity
on hair 123

49 Domestic horse, fully harnessed 128

50 Side view of domestic horse, showing
reversed hair due to harness 129

51–58 Necks of various horses, showing reversed
hair due to collar 132–135

59 Right hand, drawing of papillary ridges,
made from impressions 158

60 Right foot. _Idem_ 160

61–70 Hands and feet of lower animals,
showing papillary ridges 161, 163–166, 168

71 Flexures on palm of right hand.
Drawing made from impression 171

72–79 Flexures on hands and feet of various
lower animals 172–175

80 Drawing of flexures of sole of foot of man,
young adult 176