96 BERTHA'S VISIT TO HER 



they meet with nothing, after completing a spiral 

 of about three turns, they alter their course, and 

 proceed in some other direction. 



9f/i. Caroline and I had a nice walk this 

 morning with my uncle, and I hasten to write 

 down the additional facts that we learned from 

 him on the subject of fossil remains. 



Shells, he told us, are generally found entire, 

 and the skeletons of fishes are frequently dis- 

 covered in such a perfect state, that both their 

 families and species can be easily ascertained. 

 But the fossil remains of quadrupeds are very 

 rarely complete ; some of the parts are wanting ; 

 the bones are either scattered at a distance from 

 each other, or else lying confused together, and 

 generally broken. Yet these misplaced frag- 

 ments are the only means left for naturalists 

 to determine the species of the animal to which 

 they had belonged ; and in frequent cases a 

 single bone has been sufficient for that purpose. 

 This is effected by the science of Comparative 

 Anatomy , or, in other words, a comparison of 

 the construction and the functions of the cor- 

 responding parts of the inferior animals, with 

 those which belong to the human body; and 

 perhaps no science furnishes more instances 

 of ingenious observation and beautiful rea- 

 soning. 



Every organized being forms an entire system 



