Butwhythisshouldbealawofnatureifeachspecieshasbeenindependentlycreated,nomancanexplain。
Manyotherfactsare,asitseemstome,explicableonthistheory。
Howstrangeitisthatabird,undertheformofwoodpecker,shouldhavebeencreatedtopreyoninsectsontheground。thatuplandgeese,whichneverorrarelyswim,shouldhavebeencreatedwithwebbedfeet。thatathrushshouldhavebeencreatedtodiveandfeedonsub-aquaticinsects。
andthatapetrelshouldhavebeencreatedwithhabitsandstructurefittingitforthelifeofanaukorgrebe!andsooninendlessothercases。Butontheviewofeachspeciesconstantlytryingtoincreaseinnumber,withnaturalselectionalwaysreadytoadapttheslowlyvaryingdescendantsofeachtoanyunoccupiedorill-occupiedplaceinnature,thesefactsceasetobestrange,orperhapsmightevenhavebeenanticipated。
Asnaturalselectionactsbycompetition,itadaptstheinhabitantsofeachcountryonlyinrelationtothedegreeofperfectionoftheirassociates。
sothatweneedfeelnosurpriseattheinhabitantsofanyonecountry,althoughontheordinaryviewsupposedtohavebeenspeciallycreatedandadaptedforthatcountry,beingbeatenandsupplantedbythenaturalisedproductionsfromanotherland。Noroughtwetomarvelifallthecontrivancesinnaturebenot,asfaraswecanjudge,absolutelyperfect。andifsomeofthembeabhorrenttoourideasoffitness。Weneednotmarvelatthestingofthebeecausingthebee’sowndeath。atdronesbeingproducedinsuchvastnumbersforonesingleact,andbeingthenslaughteredbytheirsterilesisters。attheastonishingwasteofpollenbyourfir-trees。
attheinstinctivehatredofthequeenbeeforherownfertiledaughters。
atichneumonidaefeedingwithinthelivebodiesofcaterpillars。andatothersuchcases。Thewonderindeedis,onthetheoryofnaturalselection,thatmorecasesofthewantofabsoluteperfectionhavenotbeenobserved。
Thecomplexandlittleknownlawsgoverningvariationarethesame,asfaraswecansee,withthelawswhichhavegovernedtheproductionofso-calledspecificforms。Inbothcasesphysicalconditionsseemtohaveproducedbutlittledirecteffect。yetwhenvarietiesenteranyzone,theyoccasionallyassumesomeofthecharactersofthespeciespropertothatzone。Inbothvarietiesandspecies,useanddisuseseemtohaveproducedsomeeffect。foritisdifficulttoresistthisconclusionwhenwelook,forinstance,atthelogger-headedduck,whichhaswingsincapableofflight,innearlythesameconditionasinthedomesticduck。orwhenwelookattheburrowingtucutucu,whichisoccasionallyblind,andthenatcertainmoles,whicharehabituallyblindandhavetheireyescoveredwithskin。
orwhenwelookattheblindanimalsinhabitingthedarkcavesofAmericaandEurope。Inbothvarietiesandspeciescorrectionofgrowthseemstohaveplayedamostimportantpart,sothatwhenoneparthasbeenmodifiedotherpartsarenecessarilymodified。Inbothvarietiesandspeciesreversionstolong-lostcharactersoccur。Howinexplicableonthetheoryofcreationistheoccasionalappearanceofstripesontheshoulderandlegsoftheseveralspeciesofthehorse-genusandintheirhybrids!Howsimplyisthisfactexplainedifwebelievethatthesespecieshavedescendedfromastripedprogenitor,inthesamemannerastheseveraldomesticbreedsofpigeonhavedescendedfromtheblueandbarredrock-pigeon!
Ontheordinaryviewofeachspecieshavingbeenindependentlycreated,whyshouldthespecificcharacters,orthosebywhichthespeciesofthesamegenusdifferfromeachother,bemorevariablethanthegenericcharactersinwhichtheyallagree?Why,forinstance,shouldthecolourofaflowerbemorelikelytovaryinanyonespeciesofagenus,iftheotherspecies,supposedtohavebeencreatedindependently,havedifferentlycolouredflowers,thanifallthespeciesofthegenushavethesamecolouredflowers?
Ifspeciesareonlywell-markedvarieties,ofwhichthecharactershavebecomeinahighdegreepermanent,wecanunderstandthisfact。fortheyhavealreadyvariedsincetheybranchedofffromacommonprogenitorincertaincharacters,bywhichtheyhavecometobespecificallydistinctfromeachother。andthereforethesesamecharacterswouldbemorelikelystilltobevariablethanthegenericcharacterswhichhavebeeninheritedwithoutchangeforanenormousperiod。Itisinexplicableonthetheoryofcreationwhyapartdevelopedinaveryunusualmannerinanyonespeciesofagenus,andtherefore,aswemaynaturallyinfer,ofgreatimportancetothespecies,shouldbeeminentlyliabletovariation。but,onmyview,thisparthasundergone,sincetheseveralspeciesbranchedofffromacommonprogenitor,anunusualamountofvariabilityandmodification,andthereforewemightexpectthispartgenerallytobestillvariable。Butapartmaybedevelopedinthemostunusualmanner,likethewingofabat,andyetnotbemorevariablethananyotherstructure,ifthepartbecommontomanysubordinateforms,thatis,ifithasbeeninheritedforaverylongperiod。forinthiscaseitwillhavebeenrenderedconstantbylong-continuednaturalselection。
Glancingatinstincts,marvellousassomeare,theyoffernogreaterdifficultythandoescorporealstructureonthetheoryofthenaturalselectionofsuccessive,slight,butprofitablemodifications。Wecanthusunderstandwhynaturemovesbygraduatedstepsinendowingdifferentanimalsofthesameclasswiththeirseveralinstincts。Ihaveattemptedtoshowhowmuchlighttheprincipleofgradationthrowsontheadmirablearchitecturalpowersofthehive-bee。Habitnodoubtsometimescomesintoplayinmodifyinginstincts。butitcertainlyisnotindispensable,aswesee,inthecaseofneuterinsects,whichleavenoprogenytoinherittheeffectsoflong-continuedhabit。Ontheviewofallthespeciesofthesamegenushavingdescendedfromacommonparent,andhavinginheritedmuchincommon,wecanunderstandhowitisthatalliedspecies,whenplacedunderconsiderablydifferentconditionsoflife,yetshouldfollownearlythesameinstincts。whythethrushofSouthAmerica,forinstance,lineshernestwithmudlikeourBritishspecies。Ontheviewofinstinctshavingbeenslowlyacquiredthroughnaturalselectionweneednotmarvelatsomeinstinctsbeingapparentlynotperfectandliabletomistakes,andatmanyinstinctscausingotheranimalstosuffer。
Ifspeciesbeonlywell-markedandpermanentvarieties,wecanatonceseewhytheircrossedoffspringshouldfollowthesamecomplexlawsintheirdegreesandkindsofresemblancetotheirparents,——inbeingabsorbedintoeachotherbysuccessivecrosses,andinothersuchpoints,——asdothecrossedoffspringofacknowledgedvarieties。Ontheotherhand,thesewouldbestrangefactsifspecieshavebeenindependentlycreated,andvarietieshavebeenproducedbysecondarylaws。
Ifweadmitthatthegeologicalrecordisimperfectinanextremedegree,thensuchfactsastherecordgives,supportthetheoryofdescentwithmodification。Newspecieshavecomeonthestageslowlyandatsuccessiveintervals。andtheamountofchange,afterequalintervalsoftime,iswidelydifferentindifferentgroups。Theextinctionofspeciesandofwholegroupsofspecies,whichhasplayedsoconspicuousapartinthehistoryoftheorganicworld,almostinevitablyfollowsontheprincipleofnaturalselection。foroldformswillbesupplantedbynewandimprovedforms。Neithersinglespeciesnorgroupsofspeciesreappearwhenthechainofordinarygenerationhasoncebeenbroken。Thegradualdiffusionofdominantforms,withtheslowmodificationoftheirdescendants,causestheformsoflife,afterlongintervalsoftime,toappearasiftheyhadchangedsimultaneouslythroughouttheworld。Thefactofthefossilremainsofeachformationbeinginsomedegreeintermediateincharacterbetweenthefossilsintheformationsaboveandbelow,issimplyexplainedbytheirintermediatepositioninthechainofdescent。Thegrandfactthatallextinctorganicbeingsbelongtothesamesystemwithrecentbeings,fallingeitherintothesameorintointermediategroups,followsfromthelivingandtheextinctbeingtheoffspringofcommonparents。Asthegroupswhichhavedescendedfromanancientprogenitorhavegenerallydivergedincharacter,theprogenitorwithitsearlydescendantswilloftenbeintermediateincharacterincomparisonwithitslaterdescendants。andthuswecanseewhythemoreancientafossilis,theofteneritstandsinsomedegreeintermediatebetweenexistingandalliedgroups。Recentformsaregenerallylookedatasbeing,insomevaguesense,higherthanancientandextinctforms。andtheyareinsofarhigherasthelaterandmoreimprovedformshaveconqueredtheolderandlessimprovedorganicbeingsinthestruggleforlife。Lastly,thelawofthen=’448’>longenduranceofalliedformsonthesamecontinent,&。mdash。ofmarsupialsinAustralia,ofedentatainAmerica,andothersuchcases,——isintelligible,forwithinaconfinedcountry,therecentandtheextinctwillnaturallybealliedbydescent。
Lookingtogeographicaldistribution,ifweadmitthattherehasbeenduringthelongcourseofagesmuchmigrationfromonepartoftheworldtoanother,owingtoformerclimatalandgeographicalchangesandtothemanyoccasionalandunknownmeansofdispersal,thenwecanunderstand,onthetheoryofdescentwithmodification,mostofthegreatleadingfactsinDistribution。Wecanseewhythereshouldbesostrikingaparallelisminthedistributionoforganicbeingsthroughoutspace,andintheirgeologicalsuccessionthroughouttime。forinbothcasesthebeingshavebeenconnectedbythebondofordinarygeneration,andthemeansofmodificationhavebeenthesame。Weseethefullmeaningofthewonderfulfact,whichmusthavestruckeverytraveller,namely,thatonthesamecontinent,underthemostdiverseconditions,underheatandcold,onmountainandlowland,ondesertsandmarshes,mostoftheinhabitantswithineachgreatclassareplainlyrelated。fortheywillgenerallybedescendantsofthesameprogenitorsandearlycolonists。Onthissameprincipleofformermigration,combinedinmostcaseswithmodification,wecanunderstand,bytheaidoftheGlacialperiod,theidentityofsomefewplants,andthecloseallianceofmanyothers,onthemostdistantmountains,underthemostdifferentclimates。andlikewisethecloseallianceofsomeoftheinhabitantsoftheseainthenorthernandsoutherntemperatezones,thoughseparatedbythewholeintertropicalocean。Althoughtwoareasmaypresentthesamephysicalconditionsoflife,weneedfeelnosurpriseattheirinhabitantsbeingwidelydifferent,iftheyhavebeenforalongperiodcompletelyseparatedfromeachother。forastherelationoforganismtoorganismisthemostimportantofallrelations,andasthetwoareaswillhavereceivedcolonistsfromsomethirdsourceorfromeachother,atvariousperiodsandindifferentproportions,thecourseofmodificationinthetwoareaswillinevitablybedifferent。
Onthisviewofmigration,withsubsequentmodification,wecanseewhyoceanicislandsshouldbeinhabitedbyfewspecies,butofthese,thatmanyshouldbepeculiar。Wecanclearlyseewhythoseanimalswhichcannotcrosswidespacesofocean,asfrogsandterrestrialmammals,shouldnotinhabitoceanicislands。andwhy,ontheotherhand,newandpeculiarspeciesofbats,whichcantraversetheocean,shouldsooftenbefoundonislandsfardistantfromanycontinent。Suchfactsasthepresenceofpeculiarspeciesofbats,andtheabsenceofallothermammals,onoceanicislands,areutterlyinexplicableonthetheoryofindependentactsofcreation。
Theexistenceofcloselyalliedorrepresentativespeciesinanytwoareas,implies,onthetheoryofdescentwithmodification,thatthesameparentsformerlyinhabitedbothareas。andwealmostinvariablyfindthatwherevermanycloselyalliedspeciesinhabittwoareas,someidenticalspeciescommontobothstillexist。Wherevermanycloselyalliedyetdistinctspeciesoccur,manydoubtfulformsandvarietiesofthesamespecieslikewiseoccur。Itisaruleofhighgeneralitythattheinhabitantsofeachareaarerelatedtotheinhabitantsofthenearestsourcewhenceimmigrantsmighthavebeenderived。WeseethisinnearlyalltheplantsandanimalsoftheGalapagosarchipelago,ofJuanFernandez,andoftheotherAmericanislandsbeingrelatedinthemoststrikingmannertotheplantsandanimalsoftheneighbouringAmericanmainland。andthoseoftheCapedeVerdearchipelagoandotherAfricanislandstotheAfricanmainland。Itmustbeadmittedthatthesefactsreceivenoexplanationonthetheoryofcreation。
Thefact,aswehaveseen,thatallpastandpresentorganicbeingsconstituteonegrandnaturalsystem,withgroupsubordinatetogroup,andwithextinctgroupsoftenfallinginbetweenrecentgroups,isintelligibleonthetheoryofnaturalselectionwithitscontingenciesofextinctionanddivergenceofcharacter。Onthesesameprinciplesweseehowitis,thatthemutualaffinitiesofthespeciesandgenerawithineachclassaresocomplexandcircuitous。Weseewhycertaincharactersarefarmoreserviceablethanothersforclassification——whyadaptivecharacters,thoughofparamountimportancetothebeing,areofhardlyanyimportanceinclassification。whycharactersderivedfromrudimentaryparts,thoughofnoservicetothebeing,areoftenofhighclassificatoryvalue。andwhyembryologicalcharactersarethemostvaluableofall。Therealaffinitiesofallorganicbeingsareduetoinheritanceorcommunityofdescent。Thenaturalsystemisagenealogicalarrangement,inwhichwehavetodiscoverthelinesofdescentbythemostpermanentcharacters,howeverslighttheirvitalimportancemaybe。
Theframeworkofbonesbeingthesameinthehandofaman,wingofabat,finoftheporpoise,andlegofthehorse,——thesamenumberofvertebraeformingtheneckofthegiraffeandoftheelephant,——andinnumerableothersuchfacts,atonceexplainthemselvesonthetheoryofdescentwithslowandslightsuccessivemodifications。Thesimilarityofpatterninthewingandlegofabat,thoughusedforsuchdifferentpurposes,——
inthejawsandlegsofacrab,——inthepetals,stamens,andpistilsofaflower,islikewiseintelligibleontheviewofthegradualmodificationofpartsororgans,whichwerealikeintheearlyprogenitorofeachclass。
Ontheprincipleofsuccessivevariationsnotalwayssuperveningatanearlyage,andbeinginheritedatacorrespondingnotearlyperiodoflife,wecanclearlyseewhytheembryosofmammals,birds,reptiles,andfishesshouldbesocloselyalike,andshouldbesounliketheadultforms。Wemayceasemarvellingattheembryoofanair-breathingmammalorbirdhavingbranchialslitsandarteriesrunninginloops,likethoseinafishwhichhastobreathetheairdissolvedinwater,bytheaidofwell-developedbranchiae。
Disuse,aidedsometimesbynaturalselection,willoftentendtoreduceanorgan,whenithasbecomeuselessbychangedhabitsorunderchangedconditionsoflife。andwecanclearlyunderstandonthisviewthemeaningofrudimentaryorgans。Butdisuseandselectionwillgenerallyactoneachcreature,whenithascometomaturityandhastoplayitsfullpartinthestruggleforexistence,andwillthushavelittlepowerofactingonanorganduringearlylife。hencetheorganwillnotbemuchreducedorrenderedrudimentaryatthisearlyage。Thecalf,forinstance,hasinheritedteeth,whichnevercutthroughthegumsoftheupperjaw,fromanearlyprogenitorhavingwell-developedteeth。andwemaybelieve,thattheteethinthematureanimalwerereduced,duringsuccessivegenerations,bydisuseorbythetongueandpalatehavingbeenfittedbynaturalselectiontobrowsewithouttheiraid。whereasinthecalf,theteethhavebeenleftuntouchedbyselectionordisuse,andontheprincipleofinheritanceatcorrespondingageshavebeeninheritedfromaremoteperiodtothepresentday。Ontheviewofeachorganicbeingandeachseparateorganhavingbeenspeciallycreated,howutterlyinexplicableitisthatparts,liketheteethintheembryoniccalforliketheshrivelledwingsunderthesolderedwing-coversofsomebeetles,shouldthussofrequentlybeartheplainstampofinutility!Naturemaybesaidtohavetakenpainstoreveal,byrudimentaryorgansandbyhomologousstructures,herschemeofmodification,whichitseemsthatwewilfullywillnotunderstand。
Ihavenowrecapitulatedthechieffactsandconsiderationswhichhavethoroughlyconvincedmethatspecieshavechanged,andarestillslowlychangingbythepreservationandaccumulationofsuccessiveslightfavourablevariations。Why,itmaybeasked,haveallthemosteminentlivingnaturalistsandgeologistsrejectedthisviewofthemutabilityofspecies?Itcannotbeassertedthatorganicbeingsinastateofnaturearesubjecttonovariation。itcannotbeprovedthattheamountofvariationinthecourseoflongagesisalimitedquantity。nocleardistinctionhasbeen,orcanbe,drawnbetweenspeciesandwell-markedvarieties。Itcannotbemaintainedthatspecieswhenintercrossedareinvariablysterile,andvarietiesinvariablyfertile。orthatsterilityisaspecialendowmentandsignofcreation。
Thebeliefthatspecieswereimmutableproductionswasalmostunavoidableaslongasthehistoryoftheworldwasthoughttobeofshortduration。
andnowthatwehaveacquiredsomeideaofthelapseoftime,wearetooapttoassume,withoutproof,thatthegeologicalrecordissoperfectthatitwouldhaveaffordedusplainevidenceofthemutationofspecies,iftheyhadundergonemutation。
Butthechiefcauseofournaturalunwillingnesstoadmitthatonespecieshasgivenbirthtootheranddistinctspecies,isthatwearealwaysslowinadmittinganygreatchangeofwhichwedonotseetheintermediatesteps。
Thedifficultyisthesameasthatfeltbysomanygeologists,whenLyellfirstinsistedthatlonglinesofinlandcliffshadbeenformed,andgreatvalleysexcavated,bytheslowactionofthecoast-waves。Themindcannotpossiblygraspthefullmeaningofthetermofahundredmillionyears。
itcannotaddupandperceivethefulleffectsofmanyslightvariations,accumulatedduringanalmostinfinitenumberofgenerations。
AlthoughIamfullyconvincedofthetruthoftheviewsgiveninthisvolumeundertheformofanabstract,Ibynomeansexpecttoconvinceexperiencednaturalistswhosemindsarestockedwithamultitudeoffactsallviewed,duringalongcourseofyears,fromapointofviewdirectlyoppositetomine。Itissoeasytohideourignoranceundersuchexpressionsasthe`planofcreation,’`unityofdesign,’&。c。,andtothinkthatwegiveanexplanationwhenweonlyrestateafact。Anyonewhosedispositionleadshimtoattachmoreweighttounexplaineddifficultiesthantotheexplanationofacertainnumberoffactswillcertainlyrejectmytheory。
Afewnaturalists,endowedwithmuchflexibilityofmind,andwhohavealreadybeguntodoubtontheimmutabilityofspecies,maybeinfluencedbythisvolume。butIlookwithconfidencetothefuture,toyoungandrisingnaturalists,whowillbeabletoviewbothsidesofthequestionwithimpartiality。Whoeverisledtobelievethatspeciesaremutablewilldogoodservicebyconscientiouslyexpressinghisconviction。foronlythuscantheloadofprejudicebywhichthissubjectisoverwhelmedberemoved。
Severaleminentnaturalistshaveoflatepublishedtheirbeliefthatamultitudeofreputedspeciesineachgenusarenotrealspecies。butthatotherspeciesarereal,thatis,havebeenindependentlycreated。
Thisseemstomeastrangeconclusiontoarriveat。Theyadmitthatamultitudeofforms,whichtilllatelytheythemselvesthoughtwerespecialcreations,andwhicharestillthuslookedatbythemajorityofnaturalists,andwhichconsequentlyhaveeveryexternalcharacteristicfeatureoftruespecies,——theyadmitthatthesehavebeenproducedbyvariation,buttheyrefusetoextendthesameviewtootherandveryslightlydifferentforms。Neverthelesstheydonotpretendthattheycandefine,orevenconjecture,whicharethecreatedformsoflife,andwhicharethoseproducedbysecondarylaws。
Theyadmitvariationasaveracausainonecase,theyarbitrarilyrejectitinanother,withoutassigninganydistinctioninthetwocases。
Thedaywillcomewhenthiswillbegivenasacuriousillustrationoftheblindnessofpreconceivedopinion。Theseauthorsseemnomorestartledatamiraculousactofcreationthanatanordinarybirth。Butdotheyreallybelievethatatinnumerableperiodsintheearth’shistorycertainelementalatomshavebeencommandedsuddenlytoflashintolivingtissues?
Dotheybelievethatateachsupposedactofcreationoneindividualormanywereproduced?Werealltheinfinitelynumerouskindsofanimalsandplantscreatedaseggsorseed,orasfullgrown?andinthecaseofmammals,weretheycreatedbearingthefalsemarksofnourishmentfromthemother’swomb?Althoughnaturalistsveryproperlydemandafullexplanationofeverydifficultyfromthosewhobelieveinthemutabilityofspecies,ontheirownsidetheyignorethewholesubjectofthefirstappearanceofspeciesinwhattheyconsiderreverentsilence。
ItmaybeaskedhowfarIextendthedoctrineofthemodificationofspecies。Thequestionisdifficulttoanswer,becausethemoredistincttheformsarewhichwemayconsider,bysomuchtheargumentsfallawayinforce。Butsomeargumentsofthegreatestweightextendveryfar。Allthemembersofwholeclassescanbeconnectedtogetherbychainsofaffinities,andallcanbeclassifiedonthesameprinciple,ingroupssubordinatetogroups。Fossilremainssometimestendtofillupverywideintervalsbetweenexistingorders。Organsinarudimentaryconditionplainlyshowthatanearlyprogenitorhadtheorganinafullydevelopedstate。andthisinsomeinstancesnecessarilyimpliesanenormousamountofmodificationinthedescendants。Throughoutwholeclassesvariousstructuresareformedonthesamepattern,andatanembryonicagethespeciescloselyresembleeachother。ThereforeIcannotdoubtthatthetheoryofdescentwithmodificationembracesallthemembersofthesameclass。Ibelievethatanimalshavedescendedfromatmostonlyfourorfiveprogenitors,andplantsfromanequalorlessernumber。
Analogywouldleadmeonestepfurther,namely,tothebeliefthatallanimalsandplantshavedescendedfromsomeoneprototype。Butanalogymaybeadeceitfulguide。Neverthelessalllivingthingshavemuchincommon,intheirchemicalcomposition,theirgerminalvesicles,theircellularstructure,andtheirlawsofgrowthandreproduction。Weseethiseveninsotriflingacircumstanceasthatthesamepoisonoftensimilarlyaffectsplantsandanimals。orthatthepoisonsecretedbythegall-flyproducesmonstrousgrowthsonthewildroseoroak-tree。ThereforeIshouldinferfromanalogythatprobablyalltheorganicbeingswhichhaveeverlivedonthisearthhavedescendedfromsomeoneprimordialform,intowhichlifewasfirstbreathed。
Whentheviewsentertainedinthisvolumeontheoriginofspecies,orwhenanalogousviewsaregenerallyadmitted,wecandimlyforeseethattherewillbeaconsiderablerevolutioninnaturalhistory。Systematistswillbeabletopursuetheirlaboursasatpresent。buttheywillnotbeincessantlyhauntedbytheshadowydoubtwhetherthisorthatformbeinessenceaspecies。ThisIfeelsure,andIspeakafterexperience,willbenoslightrelief。TheendlessdisputeswhetherornotsomefiftyspeciesofBritishbramblesaretruespecieswillcease。Systematistswillhaveonlytodecidenotthatthiswillbeeasywhetheranyformbesufficientlyconstantanddistinctfromotherforms,tobecapableofdefinition。andifdefinable,whetherthedifferencesbesufficientlyimportanttodeserveaspecificname。Thislatterpointwillbecomeafarmoreessentialconsiderationthanitisatpresent。fordifferences,howeverslight,betweenanytwoforms,ifnotblendedbyintermediategradations,arelookedatbymostnaturalistsassufficienttoraisebothformstotherankofspecies。Hereafterweshallbecompelledtoacknowledgethattheonlydistinctionbetweenspeciesandwell-markedvarietiesis,thatthelatterareknown,orbelieved,tobeconnectedatthepresentdaybyintermediategradations,whereasspecieswereformerlythusconnected。Hence,withoutquiterejectingtheconsiderationofthepresentexistenceofintermediategradationsbetweenanytwoforms,weshallbeledtoweighmorecarefullyandtovaluehighertheactualamountofdifferencebetweenthem。Itisquitepossiblethatformsnowgenerallyacknowledgedtobemerelyvarietiesmayhereafterbethoughtworthyofspecificnames,aswiththeprimroseandcowslip。andinthiscasescientificandcommonlanguagewillcomeintoaccordance。
Inshort,weshallhavetotreatspeciesinthesamemannerasthosenaturaliststreatgenera,whoadmitthatgeneraaremerelyartificialcombinationsmadeforconvenience。Thismaynotbeacheeringprospect。butweshallatleastbefreedfromthevainsearchfortheundiscoveredandundiscoverableessenceofthetermspecies。
Theotherandmoregeneraldepartmentsofnaturalhistorywillrisegreatlyininterest。Thetermsusedbynaturalistsofaffinity,relationship,communityoftype,paternity,morphology,adaptivecharacters,rudimentaryandabortedorgans,&。c。,willceasetobemetaphorical,andwillhaveaplainsignification。Whenwenolongerlookatanorganicbeingasasavagelooksataship,asatsomethingwhollybeyondhiscomprehension。
whenweregardeveryproductionofnatureasonewhichhashadahistory。
whenwecontemplateeverycomplexstructureandinstinctasthesummingupofmanycontrivances,eachusefultothepossessor,nearlyinthesamewayaswhenwelookatanygreatmechanicalinventionasthesummingupofthelabour,theexperience,thereason,andeventheblundersofnumerousworkmen。whenwethusvieweachorganicbeing,howfarmoreinteresting,Ispeakfromexperience,willthestudyofnaturalhistorybecome!
Agrandandalmostuntroddenfieldofinquirywillbeopened,onthecausesandlawsofvariation,oncorrelationofgrowth,ontheeffectsofuseanddisuse,onthedirectactionofexternalconditions,andsoforth。Thestudyofdomesticproductionswillriseimmenselyinvalue。
Anewvarietyraisedbymanwillbeafarmoreimportantandinterestingsubjectforstudythanonemorespeciesaddedtotheinfinitudeofalreadyrecordedspecies。Ourclassificationswillcometobe,asfarastheycanbesomade,genealogies。andwillthentrulygivewhatmaybecalledtheplanofcreation。Therulesforclassifyingwillnodoubtbecomesimplerwhenwehaveadefiniteobjectinview。Wepossessnopedigreesorarmorialbearings。andwehavetodiscoverandtracethemanydiverginglinesofdescentinournaturalgenealogies,bycharactersofanykindwhichhavelongbeeninherited。Rudimentaryorganswillspeakinfalliblywithrespecttothenatureoflong-loststructures。Speciesandgroupsofspecies,whicharecalledaberrant,andwhichmayfancifullybecalledlivingfossils,willaidusinformingapictureoftheancientformsoflife。Embryologywillrevealtousthestructure,insomedegreeobscured,oftheprototypesofeachgreatclass。
Whenwecanfeelassuredthatalltheindividualsofthesamespecies,andallthecloselyalliedspeciesofmostgenera,havewithinanotveryremoteperioddescendedfromoneparent,andhavemigratedfromsomeonebirthplace。andwhenwebetterknowthemanymeansofmigration,then,bythelightwhichgeologynowthrows,andwillcontinuetothrow,onformerchangesofclimateandoftheleveloftheland,weshallsurelybeenabledtotraceinanadmirablemannertheformermigrationsoftheinhabitantsofthewholeworld。Evenatpresent,bycomparingthedifferencesoftheinhabitantsoftheseaontheoppositesidesofacontinent,andthenatureofthevariousinhabitantsofthatcontinentinrelationtotheirapparentmeansofimmigration,somelightcanbethrownonancientgeography。
ThenoblescienceofGeologylosesgloryfromtheextremeimperfectionoftherecord。Thecrustoftheearthwithitsembeddedremainsmustnotbelookedatasawell-filledmuseum,butasapoorcollectionmadeathazardandatrareintervals。Theaccumulationofeachgreatfossiliferousformationwillberecognisedashavingdependedonanunusualconcurrenceofcircumstances,andtheblankintervalsbetweenthesuccessivestagesashavingbeenofvastduration。Butweshallbeabletogaugewithsomesecuritythedurationoftheseintervalsbyacomparisonoftheprecedingandsucceedingorganicforms。Wemustbecautiousinattemptingtocorrelateasstrictlycontemporaneoustwoformations,whichincludefewidenticalspecies,bythegeneralsuccessionoftheirformsoflife。Asspeciesareproducedandexterminatedbyslowlyactingandstillexistingcauses,andnotbymiraculousactsofcreationandbycatastrophes。andasthemostimportantofallcausesoforganicchangeisonewhichisalmostindependentofalteredandperhapssuddenlyalteredphysicalconditions,namely,themutualrelationoforganismtoorganism,——theimprovementofonebeingentailingtheimprovementortheexterminationofothers。itfollows,thattheamountoforganicchangeinthefossilsofconsecutiveformationsprobablyservesasafairmeasureofthelapseofactualtime。Anumberofspecies,however,keepinginabodymightremainforalongperiodunchanged,whilstwithinthissameperiod,severalofthesespecies,bymigratingintonewcountriesandcomingintocompetitionwithforeignassociates,mightbecomemodified。sothatwemustnotoverratetheaccuracyoforganicchangeasameasureoftime。Duringearlyperiodsoftheearth’shistory,whentheformsoflifewereprobablyfewerandsimpler,therateofchangewasprobablyslower。andatthefirstdawnoflife,whenveryfewformsofthesimpleststructureexisted,therateofchangemayhavebeenslowinanextremedegree。Thewholehistoryoftheworld,asatpresentknown,althoughofalengthquiteincomprehensiblebyus,willhereafterberecognisedasamerefragmentoftime,comparedwiththeageswhichhaveelapsedsincethefirstcreature,theprogenitorofinnumerableextinctandlivingdescendants,wascreated。
InthedistantfutureIseeopenfieldsforfarmoreimportantresearches。
Psychologywillbebasedonanewfoundation,thatofthenecessaryacquirementofeachmentalpowerandcapacitybygradation。Lightwillbethrownontheoriginofmanandhishistory。
Authorsofthehighesteminenceseemtobefullysatisfiedwiththeviewthateachspecieshasbeenindependentlycreated。TomyminditaccordsbetterwithwhatweknowofthelawsimpressedonmatterbytheCreator,thattheproductionandextinctionofthepastandpresentinhabitantsoftheworldshouldhavebeenduetosecondarycauses,likethosedeterminingthebirthanddeathoftheindividual。WhenIviewallbeingsnotasspecialcreations,butasthelinealdescendantsofsomefewbeingswhichlivedlongbeforethefirstbedoftheSiluriansystemwasdeposited,theyseemtometobecomeennobled。Judgingfromthepast,wemaysafelyinferthatnotonelivingspecieswilltransmititsunalteredlikenesstoadistantfuturity。Andofthespeciesnowlivingveryfewwilltransmitprogenyofanykindtoafardistantfuturity。forthemannerinwhichallorganicbeingsaregrouped,showsthatthegreaternumberofspeciesofeachgenus,andallthespeciesofmanygenera,haveleftnodescendants,buthavebecomeutterlyextinct。Wecansofartakeapropheticglanceintofuturityastoforetelthatitwillbethecommonandwidely-spreadspecies,belongingtothelargeranddominantgroups,whichwillultimatelyprevailandprocreatenewanddominantspecies。AsallthelivingformsoflifearethelinealdescendantsofthosewhichlivedlongbeforetheSilurianepoch,wemayfeelcertainthattheordinarysuccessionbygenerationhasneveroncebeenbroken,andthatnocataclysmhasdesolatedthewholeworld。Hencewemaylookwithsomeconfidencetoasecurefutureofequallyinappreciablelength。Andasnaturalselectionworkssolelybyandforthegoodofeachbeing,allcorporealandmentalendowmentswilltendtoprogresstowardsperfection。
Itisinterestingtocontemplateanentangledbank,clothedwithmanyplantsofmanykinds,withbirdssingingonthebushes,withvariousinsectsflittingabout,andwithwormscrawlingthroughthedampearth,andtoreflectthattheseelaboratelyconstructedforms,sodifferentfromeachother,anddependentoneachotherinsocomplexamanner,haveallbeenproducedbylawsactingaroundus。Theselaws,takeninthelargestsense,beingGrowthwithReproduction。inheritancewhichisalmostimpliedbyreproduction。Variabilityfromtheindirectanddirectactionoftheexternalconditionsoflife,andfromuseanddisuse。aRatioofIncreasesohighastoleadtoaStruggleforLife,andasaconsequencetoNaturalSelection,entailingDivergenceofCharacterandtheExtinctionofless-improvedforms。
Thus,fromthewarofnature,fromfamineanddeath,themostexaltedobjectwhichwearecapableofconceiving,namely,theproductionofthehigheranimals,directlyfollows。Thereisgrandeurinthisviewoflife,withitsseveralpowers,havingbeenoriginallybreathedintoafewformsorintoone。andthat,whilstthisplanethasgonecyclingonaccordingtothefixedlawofgravity,fromsosimpleabeginningendlessformsmostbeautifulandmostwonderfulhavebeen,andarebeing,evolved。PreviousChapterCharlesDarwin-TheOriginofSpeciesTheOriginofSpeciesbyCharlesDarwinGlossaryIamindebtedtothekindnessofMr。W。S。DallasforthisGlossary,whichhasbeengivenbecauseseveralreadershavecomplainedtomethatsomeofthetermsusedwereunintelligibletothem。Mr。Dallashasendeavouredtogivetheexplanationsofthetermsinaspopularaformaspossible。EDITOR’SNOTE:ThisglossarydidnotappearinthefirsteditionandhasbeenreproducedheredirectlyfromthesixtheditionABERRANTFormsorgroupsofanimalsorplantswhichdeviateinimportantcharactersfromtheirnearestallies,soasnottobeeasilyincludedinthesamegroupwiththem,aresaidtobeaberrant。ABERRATION
inOpticsIntherefractionoflightbyaconvexlenstherayspassingthroughdifferentpartsofthelensarebroughttoafocusatslightlydifferentdistances,thisiscalledsphericalaberration。atthesametimethecolouredraysareseparatedbytheprismaticactionofthelensandlikewisebroughttoafocusatdifferentdistances,thisischromaticaberration。ABNORMALContrarytothegeneralrule。ABORTEDAnorganissaidtobeaborted,whenitsdevelopmenthasbeenarrestedataveryearlystage。ALBINISMAlbinosareanimalsinwhichtheusualcolouringmatterscharacteristicofthespecieshavenotbeenproducedintheskinanditsappendages。Albinismisthestateofbeinganalbino。ALGAEAclassofplantsincludingtheordinarysea-weedsandthefilamentousfresh-waterweeds。ALTERNATION
OFGENERATIONSThistermisappliedtoapeculiarmodeofreproductionwhichprevailsamongmanyoftheloweranimals,inwhichtheeggproducesalivingformquitedifferentfromitsparent,butfromwhichtheparent-formisreproducedbyaprocessofbudding,orbythedivisionofthesubstanceofthefirstproductoftheegg。AMMONITESAgroupoffossil,spiral,chamberedshells,alliedtotheexistingpearlyNautilus,buthavingthepartitionsbetweenthechamberswavedincomplicatedpatternsattheirjunctionwiththeouterwalloftheshell。ANALOGYThatresemblanceofstructureswhichdependsuponsimilarityoffunction,asinthewingsofinsectsandbirds。Suchstructuresaresaidtobeanalogous,andtobeanaloguesofeachother。ANIMALCULEAminuteanimal:generallyappliedtothosevisibleonlybythemicroscope。ANNELIDSAclassofwormsinwhichthesurfaceofthebodyexhibitsamoreorlessdistinctdivisionintoringsorsegments,generallyprovidedwithappendagesforlocomotionandwithgills。Itincludestheordinarymarineworms,theearthworms,andtheleeches。ANTENNÆ。JointedorgansappendedtotheheadinInsects,CrustaceaandCentipedes,andnotbelongingtothemouth。ANTHERSThesummitsofthestamensofflowers,inwhichthepollenorfertilisingdustisproduced。APLACENTALIA,APLACENTATAorAplacentalMammalsSeeMammalia。ARCHETYPALOforbelongingtotheArchetype,oridealprimitiveformuponwhichallthebeingsofagroupseemtobeorganised。ARTICULATAAgreatdivisionoftheAnimalKingdomcharacterisedgenerallybyhavingthesurfaceofthebodydividedintoringscalledsegments,agreaterorlessnumberofwhicharefurnishedwithjointedlegssuchasInsects,CrustaceansandCentipedes。ASYMMETRICALHavingthetwosidesunlike。ATROPHIEDArrestedindevelopmentataveryearlystage。BALANUSThegenusincludingthecommonAcorn-shellswhichliveinabundanceontherocksofthesea-coast。BATRACHIANSAclassofanimalsalliedtotheReptiles,butundergoingapeculiarmetamorphosis,inwhichtheyounganimalisgenerallyaquaticandbreathesbygills。Examples,Frogs,Toads,andNewts。BOULDERSLargetransportedblocksofstonegenerallyimbeddedinclaysorgravels。BRACHIOPODAAclassofmarineMollusca,orsoft-bodiedanimals,furnishedwithabivalveshell,attachedtosubmarineobjectsbyastalkwhichpassesthroughanapertureinoneofthevalves,andfurnishedwithfringedarms,bytheactionofwhichfoodiscarriedtothemouth。BRANCHIÆ。Gillsororgansforrespirationinwater。BRANCHIALPertainingtogillsorbranchiæ……CAMBRIAN
SYSTEMASeriesofveryancientPalæ。ozoicrocks,betweentheLaurentianandtheSilurian。Untilrecentlythesewereregardedastheoldestfossiliferousrocks。CANIDÆ。TheDog-family,includingtheDog,Wolf,Fox,Jackal,&。c。CARAPACETheshellenvelopingtheanteriorpartofthebodyinCrustaceansgenerally。
appliedalsotothehardshellypiecesoftheCirripedes。CARBONIFEROUSThistermisappliedtothegreatformationwhichincludes,amongotherrocks,thecoal-measures。Itbelongstotheoldest,orPalæ。ozoic,systemofformations。CAUDALOforbelongingtothetail。CEPHALOPODSThehighestclassoftheMollusca,orSoft-bodiedanimals,characterisedbyhavingthemouthsurroundedbyagreaterorlessnumberoffleshyarmsortentacles,which,inmostlivingspecies,arefurnishedwithsucking-cups。
Examples,Cuttle-fish,Nautilus。CETACEAAnorderofMammalia,includingtheWhales,Dolphins,&。c。,havingtheformofthebodyfish-like,theskinnaked,andonlythefore-limbsdeveloped。CHELONIAAnorderofReptilesincludingtheTurtles,Tortoises,&。c。CIRRIPEDESAnorderofCrustaceansincludingtheBarnaclesandAcorn-shells。TheiryoungresemblethoseofmanyotherCrustaceansinform。butwhenmaturetheyarealwaysattachedtootherobjects,eitherdirectlyorbymeansofastalk,andtheirbodiesareenclosedbyacalcareousshellcomposedofseveralpieces,twoofwhichcanopentogiveissuetoabunchofcurled,jointedtentacles,whichrepresentthelimbs。COCCUSThegenusofInsectsincludingtheCochineal。Inthesethemaleisaminute,wingedfly,andthefemalegenerallyamotionless,berry-likemass。COCOONAcaseusuallyofsilkymaterial,inwhichinsectsarefrequentlyenvelopedduringthesecondorresting-stagepupaoftheirexistence。Theterm`cocoon-stage’ishereusedasequivalentto`pupa-stage。’COELOSPERMOUSAtermappliedtothosefruitsoftheUmbelliferæ。whichhavetheseedhollowedontheinnerface。COLEOPTERABeetles,anorderofInsects,havingabitingmouthandthefirstpairofwingsmoreorlesshorny,formingsheathsforthesecondpair,andusuallymeetinginastraightlinedownthemiddleoftheback。COLUMNApeculiarorganintheflowersofOrchids,inwhichthestamens,styleandstigmaorthereproductivepartsareunited。COMPOSITÆ。
orCOMPOSITOUSPLANTSPlantsinwhichtheinflorescenceconsistsofnumeroussmallflowersflorets
broughttogetherintoadensehead,thebaseofwhichisenclosedbyacommonenvelope。Examples,theDaisy,Dandelion,&。c。CONFERVÆ。Thefilamentousweedsoffreshwater。CONGLOMERATEArockmadeupoffragmentsofrockorpebbles,cementedtogetherbysomeothermaterial。COROLLAThesecondenvelopeofaflowerusuallycomposedofcoloured,leaf-likeorganspetals,whichmaybeunitedbytheiredgeseitherinthebasalpartorthroughout。CORRELATIONThenormalcoincidenceofonephenomenon,character,&。c。,withanother。CORYMBAbunchofflowersinwhichthosespringingfromthelowerpartoftheflowerstalkaresupportedonlongstalkssoastobenearlyonalevelwiththeupperones。COTYLEDONSThefirstorseed-leavesofplants。CRUSTACEANSAclassofarticulatedanimals,havingtheskinofthebodygenerallymoreorlesshardenedbythedepositionofcalcareousmatter,breathingbymeansofgills。Examples,Crab,Lobster,Shrimp,&。c。CURCULIOTheoldgenerictermfortheBeetlesknownasWeevils,characterisedbytheirfour-jointedfeet,andbytheheadbeingproducedintoasortofbeak,uponthesidesofwhichtheantennæ。areinserted。CUTANEOUSOforbelongingtotheskin。DEGRADATIONThewearingdownoflandbytheactionoftheseaorofmeteoricagencies。DENUDATIONThewearingawayofthesurfaceofthelandbywater。DEVONIAN
SYSTEMorformationAseriesofPalæ。ozoicrocks,includingtheOldRedSandstone。DICOTYLEDONS
orDICOTYLEDONOUSPLANTSAclassofplantscharacterisedbyhavingtwoseed-leaves,bytheformationofnewwoodbetweenthebarkandtheoldwoodexogenousgrowthandbythereticulationoftheveinsoftheleaves。Thepartsoftheflowersaregenerallyinmultiplesoffive。DIFFERENTIATIONTheseparationordiscriminationofpartsororganswhichinsimplerformsoflifearemoreorlessunited。DIMORPHICHavingtwodistinctforms。Dimorphismistheconditionoftheappearanceofthesamespeciesundertwodissimilarforms。DIOECIOUSHavingtheorgansofthesexesupondistinctindividuals。DIORITEApeculiarformofGreenstone。DORSALOforbelongingtotheback。EDENTATAApeculiarorderofQuadrupeds,characterisedbytheabsenceofatleastthemiddleincisorfrontteethinbothjaws。Examples,theSlothsandArmadillos。ELYTRAThehardenedfore-wingsofBeetles,servingassheathsforthemembranoushind-wings,whichconstitutethetrueorgansofflight。EMBRYOTheyounganimalundergoingdevelopmentwithintheeggorwomb。EMBRYOLOGYThestudyofthedevelopmentoftheembryo。ENDEMICPeculiartoagivenlocality。ENTOMOSTRACAAdivisionoftheclassCrustacea,havingallthesegmentsofthebodyusuallydistinct,gillsattachedtothefeetororgansofthemouth,andthefeetfringedwithfinehairs。Theyaregenerallyofsmallsize。EOCENETheearliestofthethreedivisionsoftheTertiaryepochofgeologists。
Rocksofthisagecontainasmallproportionofshellsidenticalwithspeciesnowliving。EPHEMEROUS
INSECTSInsectsalliedtotheMay-fly。FAUNAThetotalityoftheanimalsnaturallyinhabitingacertaincountryorregion,orwhichhavelivedduringagivengeologicalperiod。FELIDÆ。TheCat-family。FERALHavingbecomewildfromastateofcultivationordomestication。FLORAThetotalityoftheplantsgrowingnaturallyinacountry,orduringagivengeologicalperiod。FLORETSFlowersimperfectlydevelopedinsomerespects,andcollectedintoadensespikeorhead,asintheGrasses,theDandelion,&。c。FOETALOforbelongingtothefoetus,orembryoincourseofdevelopment。FORAMINIFERAAclassofanimalsofveryloworganisation,andgenerallyofsmallsize,havingajelly-likebody,fromtheSurfaceofwhichdelicatefilamentscanbegivenoffandretractedfortheprehensionofexternalobjects,andhavingacalcareousorsandyshell,usuallydividedintochambers,andperforatedwithsmallapertures。FOSSILIFEROUSContainingfossils。FOSSORIALHavingafacultyofdigging。TheFossorialHymenopteraareagroupofWasp-likeInsects,whichburrowinsandysoiltomakenestsfortheiryoung。FRENUM
plFRENA。Asmallbandorfoldofskin。FUNGI
SingFUNGUS。Aclassofcellularplants,ofwhichMushrooms,Toadstools,andMoulds,arefamiliarexamples。FURCULATheforkedboneformedbytheunionofthecollarbonesinmanybirds,suchasthecommonFowl。GALLINACEOUS
BIRDSAnorderofBirdsofwhichthecommonFowl,Turkey,andPheasant,arewell-knownexamples。GALLUSThegenusofbirdswhichincludesthecommonFowl。GANGLIONAswellingorknotfromwhichnervesaregivenoffasfromacentre。GANOID
FISHESFishescoveredwithpeculiarenamelledbonyscales。Mostofthemareextinct。GERMINAL
VESICLEAminutevesicleintheeggsofanimals,fromwhichdevelopmentoftheembryoproceeds。GLACIAL
PERIODAperiodofgreatcoldandofenormousextensionoficeuponthesurfaceoftheearth。Itisbelievedthatglacialperiodshaveoccurredrepeatedlyduringthegeologicalhistoryoftheearth,butthetermisgenerallyappliedtothecloseoftheTertiaryepoch,whennearlythewholeofEuropewassubjectedtoanarcticclimate。GLANDAnorganwhichsecretesorseparatessomepeculiarproductfromthebloodorsapofanimalsorplants。GLOTTISTheopeningofthewindpipeintotheoesophagusorgullet。GNEISSArockapproachinggraniteincomposition,butmoreorlesslaminated,andreallyproducedbythealterationofasedimentarydepositafteritsconsolidation。GRALLATORESTheso-calledWading-birdsStorks,Cranes,Snipes,&。c。,whicharegenerallyfurnishedwithlonglegs,bareoffeathersabovetheheel,andhavenomembranesbetweenthetoes。GRANITEArockconsistingessentiallyofcrystaloffelsparandmicainamassofquarts。HABITATThelocalityinwhichaplantoranimalnaturallylives。HEMIPTERAAnorderorsub-orderofInsects,characterisedbythepossessionofajointedbeakorrostrum,andbyhavingthefore-wingshornyinthebasalportionandmembranousattheextremity,wheretheycrosseachother。ThisgroupincludesthevariousspeciesofBugs。HERMAPHRODITEPossessingtheorgansofbothsexes。HOMOLOGYThatrelationbetweenpartswhichresultsfromtheirdevelopmentfromcorrespondingembryonicparts,eitherindifferentanimals,asinthecaseofthearmofman,theforelegofaquadruped,andthewingofabird。orinthesameindividual,asinthecaseoftheforeandhindlegsinquadrupeds,andthesegmentsorringsandtheirappendagesofwhichthebodyofaworm,acentipede,&。c。,iscomposed。Thelatteriscalledserialhomology。
Thepartswhichstandinsucharelationtoeachotheraresaidtobehomologous,andonesuchpartororganiscalledthehomologueoftheother。
Indifferentplantsthepartsoftheflowerarehomologous,andingeneralthesepartsareregardedashomologouswithleaves。HOMOPTERAAnorderorsub-orderofInsectshavingliketheHemipteraajointedbeak,butinwhichthefore-wingsareeitherwhollymembranousorwhollyleathery。TheCicadoe,Frog-hoppers,andAphides,arewell-knownexamples。HYBRIDTheoffspringoftheunionoftwodistinctspecies。HYMENOPTERAAnorderofinsectspossessingbitingjawsandusuallyfourmembranouswingsinwhichthereareafewveins。BeesandWaspsarefamiliarexamplesofthisgroup。HYPERTROPHIEDExcessivelydeveloped。ICHNEUMONIDÆ。AfamilyofHymenopterousinsects,themembersofwhichlaytheireggsinthebodiesoreggsofotherinsects。IMAGOTheperfectgenerallywingedreproductivestateofaninsect。INDIGENSTheaboriginalanimalorvegetableinhabitantsofacountryorregion。INFLORESCENCEThemodeofarrangementoftheflowersofplants。INFUSORIAAclassofmicroscopicAnimalcules,socalledfromtheirhavingoriginallybeenobservedininfusionsofvegetablematters。Theyconsistofagelatinousmaterialenclosedinadelicatemembrane,thewholeorpartofwhichisfurnishedwithshortvibratinghairscalledcilia,bymeansofwhichtheanimalculesswimthroughthewaterorconveytheminuteparticlesoftheirfoodtotheorificeofthemouth。INSECTIVOROUSFeedingonInsects。INVERTEBRATA,orINVERTEBRATEANIMALSThoseanimalswhichdonotpossessabackboneorspinalcolumn。LACUNÆ。Spacesleftamongthetissuesinsomeoftheloweranimals,andservinginplaceofvesselsforthecirculationofthefluidsofthebody。LAMELLATEDFurnishedwithlamellæ。orlittleplates。LARVA
plLARVÆ。。Thefirstconditionofaninsectatitsissuingfromtheegg,whenitisusuallyintheformofagrub,caterpillar,ormaggot。LARYNXTheupperpartofthewindpipeopeningintothegullet。LAURENTIANAgroupofgreatlyalteredandveryancientrocks,whichisgreatlydevelopedalongthecourseoftheSt。Laurence,whencethename。Itisinthesethattheearliestknowntracesoforganicbodieshavebeenfound。LEGUMINOSÆ。AnorderofplantsrepresentedbythecommonPeasandBeans,havinganirregularflowerinwhichonepetalstandsuplikeawing,andthestamensandpistilareenclosedinasheathformedbytwootherpetals。Thefruitisapodorlegume。LEMURIDÆ。Agroupoffour-handedanimals,distinctfromtheMonkeysandapproachingtheInsectivorousQuadrupedsinsomeoftheircharactersandhabits。Itsmembershavethenostrilscurvedortwisted,andaclawinsteadofanailuponthefirstfingerofthehindhands。LEPIDOPTERAAnorderofInsects,characterisedbythepossessionofaspiralproboscis,andoffourlargemoreorlessscalywings。Itincludesthewell-knownButterfliesandMoths。LITTORALInhabitingtheseashore。LOESSAmarlydepositofrecentPost-Tertiarydate,whichoccupiesagreatpartofthevalleyoftheRhine。MALACOSTRACAThehigherdivisionoftheCrustacea,includingtheordinaryCrabs,Lobsters,Shrimps,&。c。,togetherwiththeWoodliceandSand-hoppers。MAMMALIAThehighestclassofanimals,includingtheordinaryhairyquadrupeds,theWhales,andMan,andcharacterisedbytheproductionoflivingyoungwhicharenourishedafterbirthbymilkfromtheteatsMammoe,Mammaryglandsofthemother。Astrikingdifferenceinembryonicdevelopmenthasledtothedivisionofthisclassintotwogreatgroups。inoneofthese,whentheembryohasattainedacertainstage,avascularconnection,calledtheplacenta,isformedbetweentheembryoandthemother。
intheotherthisiswanting,andtheyoungareproducedinaveryincompletestate。Theformer,includingthegreaterpartoftheclass,arecalledPlacentalmammals。thelatter,orAplacentalmammals,includetheMarsupialsandMonotremesOrnithorhynchus。MAMMIFEROUSHavingmammæ……orteatsSeeMAMMALIA。MANDIBLES,inInsectsThefirstoruppermostpairofjaws,whicharegenerallysolid,horny,bitingorgans。InBirdsthetermisappliedtobothjawswiththeirhornycoverings。InQuadrupedsthemandibleisproperlythelowerjaw。MARSUPIALSAnorderofMammaliainwhichtheyoungareborninaveryincompletestateofdevelopment,andcarriedbythemother,whilesucking,inaventralpouchmarsupium,suchastheKangaroos,Opossums,&。c。seeMAMMALIA。MAXILLÆ。,inInsectsThesecondorlowerpairofjaws,whicharecomposedofseveraljointsandfurnishedwithpeculiarjointedappendagescalledpalpi,orfeelers。MELANISMTheoppositeofalbinism。anunduedevelopmentofcolouringmaterialintheskinanditsappendages。METAMORPHIC
ROCKSSedimentaryrockswhichhaveundergonealteration,generallybytheactionofheat,subsequentlytotheirdepositionandconsolidation。MOLLUSCAOneofthegreatdivisionsoftheAnimalKingdom,includingthoseanimalswhichhaveasoftbody,usuallyfurnishedwithashell,andinwhichthenervousganglia,orcentres,presentnodefinitegeneralarrangement。Theyaregenerallyknownunderthedenominationof`shell-fish。’thecuttle-fish,andthecommonsnails,whelks,oysters,mussels,andcockles,mayserveasexamplesofthem。MONOCOTYLEDONS,orMONOCOTYLEDONOUSPLANTSPlantsinwhichtheseedsendsuponlyasingleseed-leaforcotyledon。
characterisedbytheabsenceofconsecutivelayersofwoodinthestemendogenousgrowth,bytheveinsoftheleavesbeinggenerallystraight,andbythepartsoftheflowersbeinggenerallyinmultiplesofthree。
Examples,Grasses,Lilies,Orchids,Palms,&。c。MORAINESTheaccumulationsoffragmentsofrockbroughtdownbyglaciers。MORPHOLOGYThelawofformorstructureindependentoffunction。MYSIS-STAGEAstageinthedevelopmentofcertainCrustaceansPrawns,inwhichtheycloselyresembletheadultsofagenusMysisbelongingtoaslightlylowergroup。NASCENTCommencingdevelopment。NATATORYAdaptedforthepurposeofswimming。NAUPLIUS-FORMTheearlieststageinthedevelopmentofmanyCrustacea,especiallybelongingtothelowergroups。Inthisstagetheanimalhasashortbody,withindistinctindicationsofadivisionintosegments,andthreepairsoffringedlimbs。
Thisformofthecommonfresh-waterCyclopswasdescribedasadistinctgenusunderthenameofNauplius。NEURATIONThearrangementoftheveinsornervuresinthewingsofInsects。NEUTERSImperfectlydevelopedfemalesofcertainsocialinsectssuchasAntsandBees,whichperformallthelaboursofthecommunity。Hencetheyarealsocalledworkers。NICTITATING
MEMBRANEAsemi-transparentmembrane,whichcanbedrawnacrosstheeyeinBirdsandReptiles,eithertomoderatetheeffectsofastronglightortosweepparticlesofdust,&。c。,fromthesurfaceoftheeye。OCELLIThesimpleeyesorstemmataofInsects,usuallysituatedonthecrownoftheheadbetweenthegreatcompoundeyes。OESOPHAGUSThegullet。OOLITICAgreatseriesofsecondaryrocks,socalledfromthetextureofsomeofitsmembers,whichappeartobemadeupofamassofsmallegg-likecalcareousbodies。OPERCULUMAcalcareousplateemployedbymanyMolluscatoclosetheapertureoftheirshell。TheopercularvalvesofCirripedesarethosewhichclosetheapertureoftheshell。ORBITThebonycavityforthereceptionoftheeye。ORGANISMAnorganisedbeing,whetherplantoranimal。ORTHOSPERMOUSAtermappliedtothosefruitsoftheUmbelliferæ。whichhavetheseedstraight。OSCULANTFormsorgroupsapparentlyintermediatebetweenandconnectingothergroupsaresaidtobeosculant。OVAEggs。OVARIUM
orOVARYinplantsThelowerpartofthepistilorfemaleorganoftheflower,containingtheovulesorincipientseeds。bygrowthaftertheotherorgansoftheflowerhavefallen,itusuallybecomesconvertedintothefruit。OVIGEROUSEgg-bearing。OVULES
ofplantsTheseedsintheearliestcondition。PACHYDERMSAgroupofMammalia,socalledfromtheirthickskins,andincludingtheElephant,Rhinoceros,Hippopotamus,&。c。PALÆ。OZOICTheoldestsystemoffossiliferousrocks。PALPIJointedappendagestosomeoftheorgansofthemouthinInsectsandCrustacea。PAPILIONACEÆ。AnorderofPlantsseeLEGUMINOSÆ。。Theflowersoftheseplantsarecalledpapilionaceous,orbutterfly-like,fromthefanciedresemblanceoftheexpandedsuperiorpetalstothewingsofabutterfly。PARASITEAnanimalorplantlivinguponorin,andattheexpenseof,anotherorganism。PARTHENOGENESISTheproductionoflivingOrganismsfromunimpregnatedeggsorseeds。PEDUNCULATEDSupporteduponastemorstalk。Thepedunculatedoakhasitsacornsborneuponafootstalk。PELORIA
orPELORISMTheappearanceofregularityofstructureintheflowersofplantswhichnormallybearirregularflowers。PELVISThebonyarchtowhichthehindlimbsofVertebrateanimalsarearticulated。PETALSTheleavesofthecorolla,orsecondcircleoforgansinaflower。Theyareusuallyofdelicatetextureandbrightlycoloured。PHYLLODINEOUSHavingflattened,leaf-liketwigsorleafstalksinsteadoftrueleaves。PIGMENTThecolouringmaterialproducedgenerallyinthesuperficialpartsofanimals。
Thecellssecretingitarecalledpigment-cells。PINNATEBearingleafletsoneachsideofacentralstalk。PISTILSThefemaleorgansofaflower,whichoccupyapositioninthecentreoftheotherfloralorgans。Thepistilisgenerallydivisibleintotheovaryorgermen,thestyleandthestigma。PLACENTALIA,PLACENTATA,orPlacentalMammalsSeeMAMMALIA。PLANTIGRADESQuadrupedswhichwalkuponthewholesoleofthefoot,liketheBears。PLASTICReadilycapableofchange。PLEISTOCENE
PERIODThelatestportionoftheTertiaryepoch。PLUMULE
inplantsTheminutebudbetweentheseed-leavesofnewly-germinatedplants。PLUTONIC
ROCKSRockssupposedtohavebeenproducedbyigneousactioninthedepthsoftheearth。POLLENThemaleelementinfloweringplants。usuallyafinedustproducedbytheanthers,which,bycontactwiththestigmaeffectsthefecundationoftheseeds。Thisimpregnationisbroughtaboutbymeansoftubespollen-tubes
whichissuefromthepollen-grainsadheringtothestigma,andpenetratethroughthetissuesuntiltheyreachtheovary。POLYANDROUS
flowersFlowershavingmanystamens。POLYGAMOUS
PLANTSPlantsinwhichsomeflowersareunisexualandothershermaphrodite。Theunisexualmaleandfemaleflowers,maybeonthesameorondifferentplants。POLYMORPHICPresentingmanyforms。POLYZOARYThecommonstructureforthePolyzoa,suchasthewell-knownSea-mats。PREHENSILECapableofgrasping。PREPOTENTHavingasuperiorityofpower。PRIMARIESThefeathersformingthetipofthewingofabird,andinserteduponthatpartwhichrepresentsthehandofman。PROCESSESProjectingportionsofbones,usuallyfortheattachmentofmuscles,ligaments,&。c。PROPOLISAresinousmaterialcollectedbytheHive-Beesfromtheopeningbudsofvarioustrees。PROTEANExceedinglyvariable。PROTOZOAThelowestgreatdivisionoftheAnimalKingdom。Theseanimalsarecomposedofagelatinousmaterial,andshowscarcelyanytraceofdistinctorgans。
TheInfusoria,Foraminifera,andSponges,withsomeotherforms,belongtothisdivision。PUPA
plPUPÆ。。ThesecondstageinthedevelopmentofanInsect,fromwhichitemergesintheperfectwingedreproductiveform。Inmostinsectsthepupalstageispassedinperfectrepose。Thechrysalisisthepupalstateofbutterflies。RADICLETheminuterootofanembryoplant。RAMUSOnehalfofthelowerjawintheMammalia。Theportionwhichrisestoarticulatewiththeskulliscalledtheascendingramus。RANGETheextentofcountryoverwhichaplantoranimalisnaturallyspread。Rangeintimeexpressesthedistributionofaspeciesorgroupthroughthefossiliferousbedsoftheearth’scrust。RETINAThedelicateinnercoatoftheeye,formedbynervousfilamentsspreadingfromtheopticnerve,andservingfortheperceptionoftheimpressionsproducedbylight。RETROGRESSIONBackwarddevelopment。Whenananimal,asitapproachesmaturity,becomeslessperfectlyorganisedthanmightbeexpectedfromitsearlystagesandknownrelationships,itissaidtoundergoaretrogradedevelopmentormetamorphosis。RHIZOPODSAclassoflowlyorganisedanimalsprotozoa,havingagelatinousbody,thesurfaceofwhichcanbeprotrudedintheformofroot-likeprocessesorfilaments,whichserveforlocomotionandtheprehensionoffood。ThemostimportantorderisthatoftheForaminifera。RODENTSThegnawingMammalia,suchastheRats,Rabbits,andSquirrels。Theyareespeciallycharacterisedbythepossessionofasinglepairofchisel-likecuttingteethineachjaw,betweenwhichandthegrindingteeththereisagreatgap。RUBUSTheBrambleGenus。RUDIMENTARYVeryimperfectlydeveloped。RUMINANTSThegroupofQuadrupedswhichruminateorchewthecud,suchasoxen,sheep,anddeer。Theyhavedividedhoofs,andaredestituteoffrontteethintheupperjaw。SACRALBelongingtothesacrum,orthebonecomposedusuallyoftwoormoreunitedvertebræ。towhichthesidesofthepelvisinVertebrateanimalsareattached。SARCODEThegelatinousmaterialofwhichthebodiesofthelowestanimalsProtozoa
arecomposed。SCUTELLÆ。Thehornyplateswithwhichthefeetofbirdsaregenerallymoreorlesscovered,especiallyinfront。SEDIMENTARY
FORMATIONSRocksdepositedassedimentsfromwater。SEGMENTSThetransverseringsofwhichthebodyofanarticulateanimalorAnnelidiscomposed。SEPALSTheleavesorsegmentsofthecalyx,oroutermostenvelopeofanordinaryflower。Theyareusuallygreen,butsometimesbrightlycoloured。SERRATURESTeethlikethoseofasaw。SESSILENotsupportedonastemorfootstalk。SILURIAN
SYSTEMAVeryancientsystemoffossiliferousrocksbelongingtotheearlierpartofthePalæ。ozoicseries。SPECIALISATIONThesettingapartofaparticularorganfortheperformanceofaparticularfunction。SPINAL
CHORDThecentralportionofthenervoussystemintheVertebrata,whichdescendsfromthebrainthroughthearchesofthevertebræ。,andgivesoffnearlyallthenervestothevariousorgansofthebody。STAMENSThemaleorgansoffloweringplants,standinginacirclewithinthepetals。
Theyusuallyconsistofafilamentandananther,theantherbeingtheessentialpartinwhichthepollen,orfecundatingdust,isformed。STERNUMThebreast-bone。STIGMATheapicalportionofthepistilinfloweringplants。STIPULESSmallleafyorgansplacedatthebaseofthefootstalksoftheleavesinmanyplants。STYLEThemiddleportionoftheperfectpistil,whichriseslikeacolumnfromtheovaryandsupportsthestigmaatitssummit。SUBCUTANEOUSSituatedbeneaththeskin。SUCTORIALAdaptedforsucking。SUTURES
intheskullThelinesofjunctionofthebonesofwhichtheskulliscomposed。TARSUS
plTARSI。Thejointedfeetofarticulateanimals,suchasInsects。TELEOSTEAN
FISHESFishesofthekindfamiliartousinthepresentday,havingtheskeletonusuallycompletelyossifiedandthescaleshorny。TENTACULA
orTENTACLESDelicatefleshyorgansofprehensionortouchpossessedbymanyoftheloweranimals。TERTIARYThelatestgeologicalepoch,immediatelyprecedingtheestablishmentofthepresentorderofthings。TRACHEAThewindpipeorpassagefortheadmissionofairtothelungs。TRIDACTYLEThree-fingered,orcomposedofthreemovablepartsattachedtoacommonbase。TRILOBITESApeculiargroupofextinctCrustaceans,somewhatresemblingtheWoodliceinexternalform,and,likesomeofthem,capableofrollingthemselvesupintoaball。TheirremainsarefoundonlyinthePalæ。ozoicrocks,andmostabundantlyinthoseofSilurianage。TRIMORPHICPresentingthreedistinctforms。UMBELLIFERÆ。Anorderofplantsinwhichtheflowers,whichcontainfivestamensandapistilwithtwostyles,aresupporteduponfootstalkswhichspringfromthetopoftheflowerstemandspreadoutlikethewiresofanumbrella,soastobringalltheflowersinthesameheadumbelnearlytothesamelevel。Examples,ParsleyandCarrot。UNGULATAHoofedquadrupeds。UNICELLULARConsistingofasinglecell。VASCULARContainingblood-vesselsVERMIFORMLikeaworm。VERTEBRATA:
orVERTEBRATEANIMALSThehighestdivisionoftheanimalkingdom,socalledfromthepresenceinmostcasesofabackbonecomposedofnumerousjointsorvertebroe,whichconstitutesthecentreoftheskeletonandatthesametimesupportsandprotectsthecentralpartsofthenervoussystem。WHORLSThecirclesorspirallinesinwhichthepartsofplantsarearrangedupontheaxisofgrowth。WORKERSSeeneuters。ZOEA-STAGETheearlieststageinthedevelopmentofmanyofthehigherCrustacea,socalledfromthenameofZoeaappliedtotheseyounganimalswhentheyweresupposedtoconstituteapeculiargenus。ZOOIDSInmanyoftheloweranimalssuchastheCorals,Medusæ。,&。c。
reproductiontakesplaceintwoways,namely,bymeansofeggsandbyaprocessofbuddingwithorwithoutseparationfromtheparentoftheproductofthelatter,whichisoftenverydifferentfromthatoftheegg。Theindividualityofthespeciesisrepresentedbythewholeoftheformproducedbetweentwosexualreproductions。andtheseforms,whichareapparentlyindividualanimals,havebeencalledzooids。