1894. ] 379 [ Poulton. 
This is pure Lamarckism. The evolution was supposed to be 
caused by stretching without any selection at all. 
The best example of all, however, is given by Mr. Courthope, 
in his ‘*Paradise of birds.” I commend his account of the evolu- 
tion of birds and mammals to those who believe the Lamarckian 
theory. He tells us there about the Ornithorhynchus, which he 
commends as a very prudent beast :— 
‘“‘For he saw in the distanee the strife for existence, 
That should his grandchildren betide, 
And resolved, as he could, for their ultimate good, 
A remedy sure to provide; 
With that, to prepare each descendant and heir 
For a separate diet and clime, 
He laid, as a test, four eggs in his nest, 
But he only laid two at a time. 
On the first he sat still, and kept using his bill, 
That the head in his chicks might prevail ; 
Her he hatched the next young, head downwards ihe slung 
From the branches, to lengthen his tail. 
Conceive how he watched till his chickens were hatched, 
With what joy he perceived that each brood 
Were unlike at the start, had their dwellings apart, 
With distinct adaptations for food. 
From the bill, in brief words, were developed the birds, 
Unless the tame pigeons and ducks lie; 
From the tail and hind legs in the second-laid eggs, 
The apes and—Prof. Huxley.” 
If we now turn to the skits on evolution written at the present 
day we find they are very different. Miss May Kendall, in 
writing her ‘‘Ballad of the Ichthyosaurus,” only a few years ago, 
says :— 
‘““’er man was developed, our brother, 
Weswam and we ducked and we dived, 
And we dined as a rule on each other ; 
What matter? The toughest survived.” 
This is true natural selection. The authoress understood what 
she was talking about. And even long ago, at the time when 
those mistaken parodies were written, intended for Darwin and 
really applying to Lamarck, we find an acute mind like that of 
James Russell Lowell, in the Biglow papers, making fun of 
Darwinian evolution :— 
