FUNCTION DEPENDENT ON ORGAN. 409 



animal may possess the general function of Locomo- 

 tion, without possessing the special function of walk- 

 ing or flying ; it may have the general function of 

 Sensibility, without the special Senses; the general 

 function of Assimilation, without special Digestion ; 

 for the special functions special organs are required, 

 legs or wings, eyes or ears, intestinal canal, and so 

 forth. 



The peculiar faculty of locomotion known as " flying," 

 can only be performed by the peculiar organs known 

 as " wings ; " but the general faculty of locomotion can 

 be performed by a simple contractile tissue. As soon 

 as we disengage language of its ambiguity, the truth is 

 easily seen : the appearance of each special organ in 

 the animal series is coincident with the appearance of 

 a special and corresponding function ; or, descending 

 the scale, with the disappearance of each special organ, 

 the corresponding specialty of function disappears. 

 In other words. Function is dependent on Organ, as 

 the Act is on the Agent. Would it not seem wholly 

 preposterous to say that railway locomotion was not 

 necessarily dependent on railways, because, before rail- 

 ways were invented, goods and passengers were trans- 

 mitted by waggons and coaches ? Does not every one 

 see that the special form of railway transmission gives 

 it a power, velocity, and extent, wholly unattainable by 

 waggons and coaches ; and that this power, velocity, 

 and extent, are due entirely to the peculiarity of the 

 methods of transit ? The railway differs from the 

 tramway, and the tramway from the old coach-road, in 



