14 SYLVAN SECRTES. 



those mockeries of birds with which Nature 

 was fond of experimenting in her infancy. 



Professor Marsh has carefully studied, de- 

 scribed and figured the remains of an ancient 

 bird which he has named Hesperornis re- 

 galis; and which in shape and habits re- 

 sembled a loon. He makes a striking com- 

 parison between the brain cavity of the 

 ancient and that of the modern bird, and 

 draws the inference that, as in the case of 

 mammals and reptiles there has been a steady 

 increase of intelligence in the avian animal 

 from the most remote period of its existence 

 down to the present time. Here is a sugges- 

 tion arising from the fact of this constant 

 brain-development: may not brain-improve- 

 ment, which is another phrase for intelligence- 

 development, account in a large degree for 

 the gradual self -modifying of species to suit 

 the environment ? Darwin's law of the sur- 

 vival of the fittest pre-supposes simply the 

 fittest physically ; but the film of vague intel- 

 ligence primarily planted in the animal no 

 doubt gave the impulse toward the proper 

 habitat and also that initial elasticity, which 

 has became so powerful, rendering self-modi- 

 fication to suit changes in surroundings not 

 only possible but comparatively easy. 



Probably, when all manner of life was 

 largely elementary and weak, the conditions 

 of change were almost infinitely mild and all 

 the movements of Nature slow and gentle. 

 In those times little intelligence was needed 

 to enable the fittest to survive. It may be 

 assumed that brain and nerve-centres in- 

 creased in size and strength as necessity com- 

 pelled an increase of nervous exercise; but 

 such an assumption compasses a great deal 

 not cli^ectly expressed by the phrasing of it, 



