THE BLIND FISHES OF NORTH AMERICA. 473 



form of our liberties have not kept up with the progress of those 

 very liberties. Yet, what we call rights must have a counterpart 

 or reflection in our laws. We may, while enjoying those rights, 

 forget that the juridic basis on which they stand is crumbling with 

 age. Unless that basis is rejuvenated the entire edifice must even- 

 tually fall. AVliile we are in full possession of our rights we need 

 no laws to guarantee them ; but it is when those laws are encroached 

 upon that there arises the necessity of juridic sanction for them. 



The right of life, liberty, and property constitutes the essence 

 of the " law of the land." But the conception of rights, as we 

 have seen, changes and progresses. The law of the land must like- 

 wise change and progress. 



Laws may be the highest and best creation of man's intellect, 

 but they are not " hedged in by any divinity." That is wdiy they 

 are neither infallible nor unchangeable. Yet, as the highest and 

 best creation of man's intellect, and as the final criterion of human 

 public conduct, they should conform to the best thought and to 

 the highest scientific progress. If they do not approach this stand- 

 ard they are worse than useless, for they become legalized means 

 of oppression. It is then that Justice needs a bandage over her 

 eyes, not to avoid partiality, Imt to hide her shame. 



THE BLIND FISHES OF NOKTH AMERICA. 



Bt cael h. eigenmann, 



PEOFESSOE OF ZOOLOGY, INDIANA tlNIVEEPITY. 



" An investigation into the history of degenerate forms often teaches us more of the 

 causes of change in organic Nature than can be learned by the study of the progressive 

 ones." — Weismann. 



THE caves of the United States are inhabited by three cave 

 salamanders, tw^o of them with degenerate eyes; by six cave 

 fishes, all with impaired vision — five of them with rudimentary 

 eyes, one with eyes the most degenerate among vertebrates; and 

 by several mammals. It is thus seen that among the interest- 

 ing features of the North American fauna the blind vertebrates 

 are not the least. Yet during the past twenty-five years the only 

 additions to our knowledge, aside from diagnoses of new species, 

 have been a few random notes on the habits and a short account 

 of the eye of Troglichthys by Kohl. 



Various classes of vertebrates have blind members, but no large 

 vertebrate has become blind or permanently taken up its home in 

 caves. Blatchley reports that a number of cats have established 



VOL LVI.— 37 



