THE COASTS OF SICILY. 223 



undergone the first modification, appears to generate 

 two entirely dissimilar sorts of animals — one group 

 of which, ever rooted to the stone where they were 

 first developed, make common property of a part 

 of their individuality, whilst the others, being free 

 and isolated, enjoy a completely independent exist- 

 ence. Who would not exclaim that a miracle had 

 come to pass if he saw a reptile emerge from the 

 egg dropped by the hen in his poultry yard, and 

 the reptile give birth at once to an indefinite number 

 of fishes and birds ? Yet the generation of the Me- 

 dusa is fully as marvellous as the apparently incre- 

 dible occurrence which we have been supposing. 



Are these phenomena the less important because 

 they occur in inferior animals, which have not 

 hitherto been sufficiently observed? Most assuredly 

 not. To the zoologist who is truly worthy of the 

 name, and who, without dwelling upon the more or 

 less curious modifications of form, endeavours to 

 penetrate to the mysteries which they conceal — 

 to the inquirer who, in his desire to form a correct 

 idea of creation, endeavours to comprehend all the 

 relations established between the thousand elements 

 of this magnificent whole — these facts have as much 

 value as if they were manifested in man's nearest 

 analogue among the mammalia. M. Dujardin has 

 well observed that one of the first consequences to 

 be deduced from these facts, is to exhibit the in- 

 exactitude of the notions generally admitted in 

 zoology regarding the nature of species. All the 

 definitions hitherto given by the most distinguished 

 zoologists are principally based on resemblances 



