A NEW THEORY

OF THE

ORIGIN OF SPECIES

BY

BENJ. G. FERRIS.

NEW YORK:

FOWLER & WELLS, 753 BROADWAY.

1883.

Copyright, 1883.

By FOWLER & WELLS.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.-PRELIMINARY-Classification of Animals and

Plants-What are Species-Evolution of Same Kind the

Prevailing Idea...........

CHAPTER II.—THEORIES-Of Lamarck and Others-Dar-

winian Theory-Views of Owen, Huxley, Spencer, and

others, in relation thereto....

CHAPTER III.-THEORIES-Darwinian (Continued)-Sexual

Selection-Esthetic Taste in Animals-How Man Be-

came Denuded of Hair....

CHAPTER IV.-THEORIES-Darwinian (Continued)-Laws of

Heredity-Secondary Sexual Distinctions-Origin of the

Sexes, and their Distinctions-Rudimentary and Aborted

Organs..

....

CHAPTER V.-WHAT IS LIFE?-Views of Buchner and

others-Speculations and Definitions of Herbert Spencer

.......

PAGE.

7-16

17-52

53-78

79-106

.107-125

-Author's Definition.

CHAPTER VI.-DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ANIMAL AND HUMAN

LIFE-Animal Life Fractional-Man's Life more than

the sum of Animal-Difference between Mind and In-

stinct-Difference as to Language..

CHAPTER VII.-DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MEN AND ANIMALS

IN BRAIN CAPACITY-Difference as to the Marriage Re-

lation...

.126-147

.148-166

CHAPTER VIII.—ANTIQUITY OF MAN-The Old Idea-

First Traces of Man in the Pliocene-The Pre-historic

Ages-Ancient Literature-Brain and Mental Capacity

of Primitive Man-Primitive Man Uncivilized, but not

Inferior-General Conclusions...
....167-193

CHAPTER IX.-IS THERE AN INTELLIGENT FIRST CAUSE-

General View-Theories Examined-Pain and Suffer-

ing not Inconsistent with Design-Evidences of Design

in Nature-Universality of Belief in a Personal Deity...194-221

CHAPTER X.-THE ORDER OF CREATION-From Lowest

Form to Man....

CHAPTER XI.-THE NEW THEORY-A Matrix Necessary to

Reproduction-Evidence of Embryology-Extraordinary

Generation-Male and Female Elements in Creation-

Miraculous Conception-Psychological Preparation for

Man-Multiple Creation of Organisms..

222-247

...248-278