darwin and modern science-第54节

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r…fowl　before　they　were　transformed　into　men。　　（Captain　G。　Grey；　〃A　Vocabulary　of　the　Dialects　of　South　Western　Australia〃；　Second　Edition　（London；　1840）；　pages　29；　37；　61；　63；　66；　71。）　　The　Dieri　tribe　of　Central　Australia；　who　are　divided　into　totemic　clans；　explain　their　origin　by　the　following　legend。　　They　say　that　in　the　beginning　the　earth　opened　in　the　midst　of　Perigundi　Lake；　and　the　totems　（murdus　or　madas）　came　trooping　out　one　after　the　other。　　Out　came　the　crow；　and　the　shell　parakeet；　and　the　emu；　and　all　the　rest。　　Being　as　yet　imperfectly　formed　and　without　members　or　organs　of　sense；　they　laid　themselves　down　on　the　sandhills　which　surrounded　the　lake　then　just　as　they　do　now。　　It　was　a　bright　day　and　the　totems　lay　basking　in　the　sunshine；　till　at　last；　refreshed　and　invigorated　by　it；　they　stood　up　as　human　beings　and　dispersed　in　all　directions。　　That　is　why　people　of　the　same　totem　are　now　scattered　all　over　the　country。　　You　may　still　see　the　island　in　the　lake　out　of　which　the　totems　came　trooping　long　ago。　　（A。W。　Howitt；　〃Native　Tribes　of　South…East　Australia〃　（London；　1904）；　pages　476；　779　sq。）　　Another　Dieri　legend　relates　how　Paralina；　one　of　the　Mura…Muras　or　mythical　predecessors　of　the　Dieri；　perfected　mankind。　　He　was　out　hunting　kangaroos；　when　he　saw　four　incomplete　beings　cowering　together。　　So　he　went　up　to　them；　smoothed　their　bodies；　stretched　out　their　limbs；　slit　up　their　fingers　and　toes；　formed　their　mouths；　noses；　and　eyes；　stuck　ears　on　them；　and　blew　into　their　ears　in　order　that　they　might　hear。　　Having　perfected　their　organs　and　so　produced　mankind　out　of　these　rudimentary　beings；　he　went　about　making　men　everywhere。　　（A。W。　Howitt　op。　cit。；　pages　476；　780　sq。）　　Yet　another　Dieri　tradition　sets　forth　how　the　Mura…Mura　produced　the　race　of　man　out　of　a　species　of　small　black　lizards；　which　may　still　be　met　with　under　dry　bark。　　To　do　this　he　divided　the　feet　of　the　lizards　into　fingers　and　toes；　and；　applying　his　forefinger　to　the　middle　of　their　faces；　created　a　nose；　likewise　he　gave　them　human　eyes；　mouths　and　ears。　　He　next　set　one　of　them　upright；　but　it　fell　down　again　because　of　its　tail；　so　he　cut　off　its　tail　and　the　lizard　then　walked　on　its　hind　legs。　　That　is　the　origin　of　mankind。　　（S。　Gason；　〃The　Manners　and　Customs　of　the　Dieyerie　tribe　of　Australian　Aborigines〃；　〃Native　Tribes　of　South　Australia〃　（Adelaide；　1879）；　page　260。　　This　writer　fell　into　the　mistake　of　regarding　the　Mura…Mura　（Mooramoora）　as　a　Good…Spirit　instead　of　as　one　of　the　mythical　but　more　or　less　human　predecessors　of　the　Dieri　in　the　country。　　See　A。W。　Howitt；　〃Native　Tribes　of　South…East　Australia〃；　pages　475　sqq。）

The　Arunta　tribe　of　Central　Australia　similarly　tell　how　in　the　beginning　mankind　was　developed　out　of　various　rudimentary　forms　of　animal　life。　　They　say　that　in　those　days　two　beings　called　Ungambikula；　that　is；　〃out　of　nothing；〃　or　〃self…existing；〃　dwelt　in　the　western　sky。　　From　their　lofty　abode　they　could　see；　far　away　to　the　east；　a　number　of　inapertwa　creatures；　that　is；　rudimentary　human　beings　or　incomplete　men；　whom　it　was　their　mission　to　make　into　real　men　and　women。　　For　at　that　time　there　were　no　real　men　and　women；　the　rudimentary　creatures　（inapertwa）　were　of　various　shapes　and　dwelt　in　groups　along　the　shore　of　the　salt　water　which　covered　the　country。　　These　embryos；　as　we　may　call　them；　had　no　distinct　limbs　or　organs　of　sight；　hearing；　and　smell；　they　did　not　eat　food；　and　they　presented　the　appearance　of　human　beings　all　doubled　up　into　a　rounded　mass；　in　which　only　the　outline　of　the　different　parts　of　the　body　could　be　vaguely　perceived。　　Coming　down　from　their　home　in　the　western　sky；　armed　with　great　stone　knives；　the　Ungambikula　took　hold　of　the　embryos；　one　after　the　other。　　First　of　all　they　released　the　arms　from　the　bodies；　then　making　four　clefts　at　the　end　of　each　arm　they　fashioned　hands　and　fingers；　afterwards　legs；　feet；　and　toes　were　added　in　the　same　way。　　The　figure　could　now　stand；　a　nose　was　then　moulded　and　the　nostrils　bored　with　the　fingers。　　A　cut　with　the　knife　made　the　mouth；　which　was　pulled　open　several　times　to　render　it　flexible。　　A　slit　on　each　side　of　the　face　separated　the　upper　and　lower　eye…lids；　disclosing　the　eyes；　which　already　existed　behind　them；　and　a　few　strokes　more　completed　the　body。　　Thus　out　of　the　rudimentary　creatures　were　formed　men　and　women。　　These　rudimentary　creatures　or　embryos；　we　are　told；　〃were　in　reality　stages　in　the　transformation　of　various　animals　and　plants　into　human　beings；　and　thus　they　were　naturally；　when　made　into　human　beings；　intimately　associated　with　the　particular　animal　or　plant；　as　the　case　may　be；　of　which　they　were　the　transformationsin　other　words；　each　individual　of　necessity　belonged　to　a　totem；　the　name　of　which　was　of　course　that　of　the　animal　or　plant　of　which　he　or　she　was　a　transformation。〃　　However；　it　is　not　said　that　all　the　totemic　clans　of　the　Arunta　were　thus　developed；　no　such　tradition；　for　example；　is　told　to　explain　the　origin　of　the　important　Witchetty　Grub　clan。　　The　clans　which　are　positively　known；　or　at　least　said；　to　have　originated　out　of　embryos　in　the　way　described　are　the　Plum　Tree；　the　Grass　Seed；　the　Large　Lizard；　the　Small　Lizard；　the　Alexandra　Parakeet；　and　the　Small　Rat　clans。　　When　the　Ungambikula　had　thus　fashioned　people　of　these　totems；　they　circumcised　them　all；　except　the　Plum　Tree　men；　by　means　of　a　fire…stick。　　After　that；　having　done　the　work　of　creation　or　evolution；　the　Ungambikula　turned　themselves　into　little　lizards　which　bear　a　name　meaning　〃snappers…up　of　flies。〃　　（Baldwin　Spencer　and　F。J。　Gillen；　〃Native　Tribes　of　Central　Australia　（London；　1899）；　pages　388　sq。；　compare　id。；　〃Northern　Tribes　of　Central　Australia〃　（London；　1904）；　page　150。）

This　Arunta　tradition　of　the　origin　of　man；　as　Messrs　Spencer　and　Gillen；　who　have　recorded　it；　justly　observe；　〃is　of　considerable　interest；　it　is　in　the　first　place　evidently　a　crude　attempt　to　describe　the　origin　of　human　beings　out　of　non…human　creatures　who　were　of　various　forms；　some　of　them　were　representatives　of　animals；　others　of　plants；　but　in　all　cases　they　are　to　be　regarded　as　intermediate　stages　in　the　transition　of　an　animal　or　plant　ancestor　into　a　human　individual　who　bore　its　name　as　that　of　his　or　her　totem。〃　　（Baldwin　Spencer　and　F。J。　Gillen；　〃Native　Tribes　of　Central　Australia〃；　pages　391　sq。）　　In　a　sense　these　speculations　of　the　Arunta　on　their　own　origin　may　be　said　to　combine　the　theory　of　creation　with　the　theory　of　evolution；　for　while　they　represent　men　as　developed　out　of　much　simpler　forms　of　life；　they　at　the　same　time　assume　that　this　development　was　effected　by　the　agency　of　two　powerful　beings；　whom　so　far　we　may　call　creators。　　It　is　well　known　that　at　a　far　higher　stage　of　culture　a　crude　form　of　the　evolutionary　hypothesis　was　propounded　by　the　Greek　philosopher　Empedocles。　　He　imagined　that　shapeless　lumps　of　earth　and　water；　thrown　up　by　the　subterranean　fires；　developed　into　monstrous　animals；　bulls　with　the　heads　of　men；　men　with　the　heads　of　bulls；　and　so　forth；　till　at　last；　these　hybrid　forms　being　gradually　eliminated；　the　various　existing　species　of　animals　and　men　were　evolved。　　（E。　Zeller；　〃Die　Philosophie　der　Griechen〃；　I。4　（Leipsic；　1876）；　pages　718　sq。；　H。　Ritter　et　L。　Preller；　〃Historia　Philosophiae　Graecae　et　Romanae　ex　fontium　locis　contexta〃5；　pages　102　sq。　　H。　Diels；　〃Die　Fragmente　der　Vorsokratiker〃2；　I。　（Berlin；　1906）；　pages　190　sqq。　　Compare　Lucretius　〃De　rerum　natura〃；　V。　837　sqq。）　　The　theory　of　the　civilised　Greek　of　Sicily　may　be　set　beside　the　similar　theory　of　the　savage　Arunta　of　Central　Australia。　　Both　represent　gropings　of　the　human　mind　in　the　dark　abyss　of　the　past；　both　were　in　a　measure　grotesque　anticipations　of　the　modern　theory　of　evolution。

In　this　essay　I　have　made　no　attempt　to　illustrate　all　the　many　various　and　divergent　views　which　primitive　man　has　taken　of　his　own　origin。　　I　have　confined　myself　to　collecting　examples　of　two　radically　different　views；　which　may　be　distinguished　as　the　theory　of　creation　and　the　theory　of　evolution。　　According　to　the　one；　man　was　fashioned　in　his　existing　shape　by　a　god　or　other　powerful　being；　according　to　the　other　he　was　evolved　by　a　natural　process　out　of　lower　forms　of　animal　life。　　Roughly　speaking；　these　two　theories　still　divide　the　civilised　world　between　them。　　The　partisans　of　each　can　appeal　in　support　of　their　view　to　a　large　consensus　of　opinion；　and　if　truth　were　to　be　decided　by　weighing　the　one　consensus　against　the　other；　with　〃Genesis〃　in　the　one　scale　and　〃The　Origin　of　Species〃　in　the　other；　it　might　perhaps　be　found；　when　the　scales　were　finally　trimmed；　that　the　balance　hung　very　even　between　creation　and　evolution。


X。　　THE　INFLUENCE　OF　DARWIN　ON　THE　STUDY　OF　ANIMAL　EMBRYOLOGY。

By　A。　SEDGWICK；　M。A。；　F。R。S。　Professor　of　Zoology　and　Comparative　Anatomy　in　the　University　of　Cambridge。

The　publication　of　〃The　Origin　of　Species〃　ushered　in　a　new　era　in　the　study　of　Embryology。　　Whereas；　before　the　year　1859　the　facts　of　anatomy　and　development　were　loosely　held　together　by　the　theory　of　types；　which　owed　its　origin　to　the　great　anatomists　of　the　preceding　generati