HEREDITY. 127 



small one. Possibly they were distinct creatures, the 

 larger having become extinct from causes which at 

 present do not appear. It is quite certain that inter- 

 mediate types did not exist. 



In New Zealand a similar relationship exists be- 

 tween an extinct bird and an existing one. The moa, 

 or dinornis, was a wingless bird ten or twelve feet in 

 height, and once lived where the apteryx, a bird not 

 larger than a turkey, now exists. The skeleton of 

 the moa is destitute of wing marks, while the little 

 apteryx has rudimentary wings with a nail or claw 

 at the tips, thus corresponding to the dwarfed wings 

 of the ostrich, the nail being a reptilian feature. The 

 point to be settled is, whether, in New Zealand, there 

 were two distinct creations, or by the forces or influ- 

 ences of evolution the one was related to the other 

 in a rising or falling scale. 



A peculiarity of the fauna of Australia is that the 

 marsupial type prevails, the kangaroo being the 

 largest and the most pronounced. The platypus is an 

 exception to the marsupial characteristic in the ani- 

 mals of the island or continent, and seems to combine 

 the features of a mole and a bird. In the peculiar 

 combination the evolutionist finds a puzzle, and the 

 supporter of heredity sees evidence of special creations. 

 Neither " natural selection " nor " reversion " will 

 solve the organic riddle ; and in a creative fiat the 

 reason for the intermixed combination is not apparent, 

 especially as the singular production is in proximity 

 with the echidna and other unusual forms. 



In the contemplation of Australian animals, the 

 speculative mind might see a novel fauna in a state 

 of arrested development. However, the country is 

 capable of sustaining exotics, whether vegetable or 



