24 DARWINISM VERIFIED. [i. 



its nascent heart is like the heart of a fish. Presently, 

 with the appearance of the allantoidal membrane, the 

 foetus seems to be on the point of becoming a reptile 

 or bird ; but after a while it declares itself a mammal. 

 Next it becomes apparent that it is not a rodent or 

 insectivore, but a primate ; next, it exhibits charac- 

 teristics which define it as a true ape, and not a 

 lemur ; still later, it is seen to be a catarrhine ape ; 

 and finally, it is born with the specific attributes of 

 a mandril, which are, however, further intensified as 

 it reaches maturity. Facts like these, which are in- 

 variably found in the embryonic development of 

 organisms, tell just the same story as the facts of 

 classification. If they do not mean that the various 

 forms of organic life have arisen by gradual diver- 

 gence from a common original, one might well be 

 excused for doubting whether the phenomena of 

 nature have any rational meaning whatever. Of like 

 import are many of the more special facts of em- 

 bryology, such as the useless rudiments of hind limbs 

 in many snakes, the presence of teeth in the beaks of 

 sundry embryonic birds and in the jaws of foetal 

 whales, and the gill-like glands in the human throat. 

 As if all this were not enough, the study of morpho- 

 logy discloses that all the diversified mechanical func- 

 tions performed by the various animals comprised in 



