WHAT IS A BIRD 1 11 



existence" in which the "fittest" survive, and 

 the unfit are eliminated — the unfit representing 

 those who. cannot respond, or adapt themselves 

 to changes in their surroundings or environment. 



Although much abused, and generally mis- 

 understood and misrepresented, this is neverthe- 

 less for the most part admitted to be the best and 

 most satisfactory of any hypothesis yet offered 

 us. 



What answer will this give us to the question, 

 How did the pigeons, ducks, geese, and song- 

 birds, come to be 1 



Well, it would first of all draw our atten- 

 tion to the fact that "like begets like." That 

 though the pigeon, the lizard and the snake all 

 lay eggs, yet the pigeon's egg will never bring 

 forth anything but another pigeon. 



It will next point out the much less familiar 

 fact that 



' ' No being on this earthly ball 

 Is like another, all in all." 



Now this is a most important observation. 

 Just as all the children of a family differ one 

 from another, so do all the birds of the same 

 nest, though, perhaps, not so markedly to our 

 eyes. Let us follow this up. 



The children of this family intermarry with 

 those of some other, and their children yet again 

 with another, and so on. So that, if a census was 

 taken of the population of, say a village, and care- 

 ful measurements and observations taken as to 

 the height, sight, and hearing, colour of the hair 

 and eyes, freedom from disease, and so on, we 



