PDF - Wallace Online

NATURAL SELECTIONopen to the direction in which he is going ; the mossy sideof trees, the presence of certain plants under the shade ofrocks, the morning and evening flight of birds, are to himindications of direction almost as sure as the sun in theheavens. Now, if such a savage is required to find his wayacross this country in a direction in which he has never beenbefore, he is quite equal to the task. By however circuitousa route he has come to the point he is to start from, he hasobserved all the bearings and distances so well, that he knowspretty nearly where he is, the direction of his own home andthat of the place he is required to go to. He starts towardsit, and knows that by a certain time he must cross an uplandor a river, that the streams should flow in a certain direction,and that he should cross some of them at a certain distancefrom their sources. The nature of the soil throughout thewhole region is known to him, as well as all the great featuresof the vegetation. As he approaches any tract of country hehas been in or near before, many minute indications guidehim, but he observes them so cautiously that his whitecompanions cannot perceive by what he has directed his course.Every now and then he slightly changes his direction, but heis never confused, never loses himself, for he always feels athome ;till at last he arrives at a well-known country, anddirects his course so as to reach the exact spot desired. Tothe Europeans whom he guides he seems to have come withouttrouble, without any special observation, and in a nearlystraight unchanging course. They are astonished, and ask ifhe has ever been the same route before, and when he answers"No," conclude that some unerring instinct could alonehave guided him. But take this same man into anothercountry very similar to his own, but with other streams andhills, another kind of soil, with a somewhat different vegetationand animal life ;and after bringing him by a circuitousroute to a given point, ask him to return to his starting-place,by a straight line of fifty miles through the forest, and he willcertainly decline to attempt it, or, attempting it, will more orless completely fail. His supposed instinct does not act outof his own country.A savage, even in a new country, has, however, undoubtedadvantages from his familiarity with forest life, his entire