Abstract
DR. LIVINGSTONE makes this interesting observation:“Manyuema children do not creep, as European children do, on their knees, but begin by putting forward one foot and using one knee. Generally a Manyuema child uses both feet and both hands, but never both knees. One Arab child did the same; he never crept, but got up on both feet, holding on till he could walk.” (“Last Journals,” p. 381.) The last instance suggests arboreal survival, the Manyuema style being pure plantigrade, but rarely seen in civilised life. Creeping of infants as instinctive activity certainly throws light on human evolution, and it may be that racial differences will be revealed by investigation. It would also be interesting to inquire how far idiosyncrasy in walking is connected with peculiarity in creeping. Swinging the arms seems quadrupedal survival. Looking down from a high building on people walking below, their movements thus projected on a plane are strikingly suggestive of a quadruped, and the professional pedestrian who makes the utmost use of arm-swinging to accelerate gait suggests the rapid shuffle of a bear.
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STANLEY, H. Instinctive Attitudes. Nature 50, 596 (1894). https://doi.org/10.1038/050596b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/050596b0
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