HOMOLOGY AND ITS INTERPRETATION 61 



type of skeleton arising independently in reptiles, mammals, 

 amphibia, and fishes. 



Again, there are times when convergent analogies appear 

 to be more representative of the common racial her- 

 itage than the underlying structure itself, tempting the 

 evolutionist to fly in the face of the orthodox interpretation, 

 which rigidly rules out analogy in favor of homology, and 

 refuses to accept the eloquent testimony of a remark- 

 able resemblance merely because of a slight technical dis- 

 crepancy in the structural substrate. A large pinching claw, 

 or chela, for example, occurs in two organisms belonging 

 to the phylum of the arthropods, namely, the lobster and the 

 African scorpion. Both chelae are practically identical in 

 structure, but, unfortunately, the chela of the lobster arises 

 from a different appendage than that from which the scor- 

 pion's chela emerges. If they arose from corresponding ap- 

 pendages, they would be pronounced "homologous organs" 

 and acclaimed, without hesitation, as strong evidence in favor 

 of the common origin of all the arthropods. In proof of this, 

 we call attention to the importance attached to the adapta- 

 tions affecting homologous bones in fossil "horses." As it is, 

 however, the two chelae are analogous, and not homologous, 

 organs. Hence, technically speaking, the two chelae are 

 utterly unrelated structures. To the eye of common sense, 

 however, the likeness appears to be far more important than 

 the difference, and the average person will be inclined to 

 view the resemblance as evidence of a communuity of type. In 

 fact, the tendency to discard superficial, and to retain only 

 fundamental, uniformities, is dangerous to the theory of Trans- 

 formism. When we confine our attention to what is really 

 basic, we find that the resemblances become so generalized 

 and widespread that specific conclusions as to descent become 

 impossible, and we lose all sense of direction in a clueless 

 labyrinth of innumerable, yet mutually contradictory, possi- 

 bilities. 



Finally, it may be noted in passing that, though it is 



