74 THREE DAYS IN THE FALKLAND ISLANDS. 



segments are furnished with legs, and are equally organized. In a larva 

 the abdominal segments are obviously inferior in importance to the 

 thoracic segments; but, nevertheless, the abdomen is apparently almost 

 on an equality with the thorax, and its segments are furnished with legs. 

 But when the change into the perfect insect takes place, the abdomen is 

 degraded, that is, it is deprived of its appendages and diminished in size, 

 and its substance is partly transferred from it to the head and to the 

 thorax, and serves to develop them and their appendages. 



It is sufficient in this place to shew the agreement of the geographical 

 distribution of animals with their chronological succession, by citing the 

 following law: — "Every species has come into existence coincident both in 

 space and time with a pre-existing closely-allied species." Vegetation, as 

 is manifest by Morphology, is also subject to this law: for the fullest 

 development or luxuriance of leaves, of flowers, and of seed, cannot co- 

 exist or appear in succession on the same plant, but the foliage must be 

 diminished, or degraded in proportion to the development of the flowers, 

 which in their turn must give way to the perfection of the seed. 



Thus geology, classification, structure, growth, comparative anatomy, 

 vegetation — in short, all the branches of Natural History, offer an innu- 

 merable variety of illustrations of the law of degradation, for every one of 

 the millions of kinds of creatures that inhabit the earth has a peculiar 

 modification of the above law. 



(To be continued.) 



THREE DAYS IN THE FALKLAND ISLANDS. 



BY J. S. WALKER, ESQ. 



(Continued from page 219, vol. 6,) 



During: our ride across the camp, we saw several herds of wild horses; 

 they appeared in good condition, but were sorry beasts, not worth the 

 trouble of brcaking-in. They are caught with the lasso, and thrown down, 

 and our guide assured us that half an hour after they were subjected to 

 this treatment, they would allow themselves to be led away by a halter. 

 It was amusing to watch the anxiety with which the father of the family 

 collected the mares and foals together, and drove them away before us. 

 Those we were riding were imported from Rio Negro, and were of a stout 

 short-legged description, without any good points, but sure footed and 

 serviceable. A few of the Island- bred horses were at work about the 

 settlement, but they were said to be both sluggish and vicious, and incapable 

 of enduring fatigue. But the wealth of the Falkland Islands consists in 

 the wild cattle, of which it is said there are between thirty and forty 



