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  ANNUAL 
  EEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  4. 
  Close 
  similarities 
  to 
  identities 
  of 
  the 
  chemical 
  constituents 
  of 
  the 
  

   human 
  body 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  other 
  mammals. 
  

  

  5. 
  The 
  presence 
  in 
  man 
  of 
  many 
  vestiges 
  of 
  or 
  reversions 
  to 
  

   features 
  regularly 
  present 
  in 
  lower 
  animals. 
  

  

  C. 
  THE 
  DOCUMENTARY 
  EVmENCE 
  

  

  1. 
  Man's 
  cultural 
  remains 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  geology 
  and 
  paleontology. 
  

  

  2. 
  His 
  skeletal 
  remains 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  relations. 
  

  

  D. 
  THE 
  OBSERVATIONAL 
  EVIDENCE 
  

  

  1. 
  Man's 
  changes, 
  physical, 
  functional, 
  and 
  mental, 
  observable 
  

   scientifically 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  with 
  indications 
  for 
  the 
  future. 
  

  

  EVOLUTION 
  UNIVERSAL 
  

  

  The 
  process 
  of 
  evolution 
  is 
  now 
  known 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  basic, 
  universal 
  

   phenomenon. 
  Nature 
  changes 
  throughout, 
  and 
  these 
  changes, 
  taking 
  

   place 
  under 
  definite 
  laws, 
  so 
  long 
  as 
  they 
  are 
  constructive 
  or 
  progres- 
  

   sive 
  toward 
  other 
  forms, 
  can 
  onlj'^ 
  be 
  called 
  evolution. 
  The 
  whole 
  

   cosmos, 
  each 
  star, 
  each 
  organism, 
  and 
  probably 
  each 
  particle 
  of 
  

   matter, 
  is 
  changing 
  or 
  is 
  capable 
  of 
  change 
  under 
  proper 
  conditions, 
  

   stability 
  being 
  only 
  relative. 
  No 
  living 
  being, 
  especially, 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  

   established, 
  is 
  immutable, 
  but 
  all 
  are 
  capable, 
  within 
  limits, 
  of 
  change 
  

   in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  " 
  adaptation 
  " 
  to 
  changing 
  conditions. 
  The 
  possi- 
  

   bility 
  of 
  adaptation 
  is, 
  in 
  fact, 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  fundamental 
  and 
  

   vital 
  properties 
  of 
  all 
  organic 
  beings. 
  And 
  every 
  adaptation, 
  every 
  

   change 
  of 
  some 
  consequence 
  and 
  duration 
  in 
  an 
  organism, 
  calls 
  for 
  

   adjustments 
  which, 
  if 
  lasting, 
  appear 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  needed 
  and 
  

   eventually 
  inheritable 
  modifications 
  in 
  structure. 
  To 
  which 
  must 
  be 
  

   added 
  the 
  potent 
  influences 
  of 
  isolation, 
  selection, 
  and 
  hybridization. 
  

   The 
  effects 
  of 
  all 
  this 
  are 
  observable 
  in 
  many 
  wild 
  forms, 
  and 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  in 
  the 
  domesticated 
  animals 
  and 
  in 
  useful 
  plants, 
  where 
  man 
  

   has 
  knowingly 
  assisted 
  nature. 
  To 
  exclude 
  man 
  and 
  his 
  ancestry 
  

   from 
  these 
  basic 
  conditions 
  and 
  laws 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  exclude 
  him 
  from 
  

   the 
  range 
  of 
  organisms, 
  which 
  seems 
  impossible. 
  

  

  THE 
  EVIDENCE 
  OF 
  FOSSILS 
  

  

  Thanks 
  to 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  Leidy, 
  Marsh, 
  Cope, 
  Osborn, 
  and 
  other 
  

   American 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  European 
  paleontologists, 
  it 
  is 
  now 
  possible 
  to 
  

   follow, 
  by 
  whole 
  series 
  of 
  actual 
  specimens, 
  not 
  merely 
  structural 
  

   adaptations, 
  but 
  progressive 
  evolution 
  of 
  an 
  increasing 
  number 
  of 
  

   phyla 
  of 
  animals 
  over 
  great 
  lengths 
  of 
  geologic 
  time. 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  

   best 
  example 
  of 
  this 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  horse, 
  which 
  is 
  known 
  in 
  

   many 
  stages, 
  from 
  an 
  ancient 
  little 
  four-toed 
  suggestion-of-a-horse 
  

   to 
  the 
  fine 
  racers 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  specialized 
  equine 
  forms 
  of 
  to-day. 
  

  

  