Birds of the Indian Hills 



anything. He merely lays down the law to 

 people who know nothing of law. He assures 

 the world that he can explain all organic 

 phenomena, and the world believes him. 



As a matter of fact, zoology is quite as 

 backward as meteorology. Those who do not 

 wish to be deceived will do well to receive with 

 caution all the zoological theories which at 

 present hold the field. Before many years 

 have passed all of them will have been modified 

 beyond recognition. Most of them are already 

 out of date. 



There are doubtless good reasons for the 

 colouring of both the grosbeak and the oriole ; 

 what these reasons are we know not. But 

 as neither derives any benefit from the resem- 

 blance to the other, this resemblance cannot 

 have been effected by natural selection. Now, 

 if the unknown forces, which cause the various 

 organisms to take their varied colours and 

 forms, sometimes produce two organisms of 

 different families which closely resemble one 

 another, and the organisms in question are so 

 distributed that neither can derive the slightest 

 advantage in the struggle for existence from 

 the resemblance, there is no reason why similar 



resemblances should not be produced in the 



170 



