INTRODUCTION 7 



As he progressed in these studies, Cuvier was able with con- 

 siderable success to restore extinct animals from their fossilised 

 remains, to discover their habits and manner of life, and to point 

 out their nearest living ally. To him we owe the first complete 

 demonstration of the possibility of restoring an extinct animal. 

 His "Law of Correlation" however, has been found to be not 

 infallible ; as Professor Huxley has shown, it has exceptions. 

 It expresses our experience among living animals, but, when 

 applied to the more ancient types of life, is liable to be mis- 

 leading. 



To take one out of many examples of this law : Carnivorous 

 animals, such as cats, lions, and tigers, have claws in their feet, 

 very different from the hoofs of an ox, which is herbivorous : 

 while the teeth of the former group are very different from those 

 of the latter. Thus the teeth and limbs have a certain definite 

 relation to each other, or, in other words, are correlated. Again, 

 horned quadrupeds are all herbivorous (or graminivorous), and 

 have hoofs to their feet. The following amusing anecdote serves 

 to illustrate Cuvier's law. One of his students thought he would 

 try and frighten his master, and, having dressed up as a wild 

 beast, entered Cuvier's bedroom by night, and, presenting himself 

 by his bedside, said in hollow tones, " Cuvier, Cuvier, I've come 

 to eat you ! " The great naturalist, who on waking up was able 

 to discern something with horns and hoofs, simply remarked, 

 " What ! horns, hoofs graminivorous you can't ! " What better 

 lesson could the master have given the pupil to help him to 

 remember his " Law of Correlation " ? 



Cuvier's great work, entitled Ossemens Fossiles, will long remain 

 an imperishable monument of the genius and industry of the 

 greatest pioneer in this region of investigation. This work 

 proved beyond a doubt to his astonished contemporaries the great 



