TRANSMUTABLE. 229 



cation, adapted in one descendant to act as hands, 

 in another as paddles, in another as wings; and 

 upon the above principles, the fore-limbs will 

 resemble each other closely, for they have not 

 been modified. But the new species will differ 

 greatly, because the limbs in the mature animal 

 have undergone much modification at a rather 

 late period of life, having thus been converted 

 into hands, paddles, or wings." 



The writer in the "Cornhill Magazine," would, 

 I dare say, be very angry if I were to treat 

 these most remarkable suppositions with ridicule ; 

 and he would, doubtless, be very much shocked 

 were any one to suggest the probability of mo- 

 dification of structure being produced in an 

 animal by "exercise" and "disuse," (page 447,) 

 so as to convert it into a different species, as 

 being anything akin to atheism! And yet. I shall 

 fall under this writer's condemnation, for I cer- 

 tainly consider that when statements are utterly 

 opposed to known facts, and not supported by 

 any proof, they are quite open to ridicule. When 

 they go beyond this, and attribute the Design 

 of God to chance, then such writing is atheistical. 



But I am going to mention one or two facts, 

 for, unfortunately, the people who read these 

 pernicious writings, are those who are not ex- 

 pected to know anything of physiology; and if 

 statements are made, that are plausible on their 

 face, they are too apt to accept them as truths. 



I deny then, in toto, that the phases of the 

 embryo represent anything which the most vivid 



