iin 0f mes. 265 



and a ram of the ordinary kind. In the year 1791, one 

 of the ewes presented her owner with a male lamb, 

 differing, for no assignable reason, from its parents by a 

 proportionally long body and short bandy legs, whence 

 it was unable to emulate its relatives in those sportive 

 leaps over the neighbours' fences, in which they were 

 in the habit of indulging, .much to the good farmer's 

 vexation. 



The second case is that detailed by a no less unex- 

 ceptionable authority than Keaumur, in his " Art de faire 

 eclore les Poulets." A Maltese couple, named Kelleia, 

 whose hands and feet were constructed upon the ordinary 

 human model, had born to them a son, Gratio, who pos- 

 sessed six perfectly moveable fingers on each hand and 

 six toes, not quite so well formed, on each foot. No 

 cause could be assigned for the appearance of this un- 

 usual variety of the human species. 



Two circumstances are well worthy of remark in both 

 these cases. In each, the variety appears to have arisen 

 in full force, and, as it were, per saltum ; a wide and 

 definite difference appearing, at once, between the Ancon 

 ram and the ordinary sheep ; between the six-fingered 

 and six-toed Gratio Kelleia and ordinary men. In 

 neither case is it possible to point out any obvious reason 

 for the appearance of the variety. Doubtless there were 

 determining causes for these as for all other phenomena ; 

 but they do not appear, and we can be tolerably cer- 

 tain that what are ordinarily understood as changes in 

 physical conditions, as in climate, in food, or the like, 

 did not take place and had nothing to do with the 

 matter. It was no case of what is commonly called 

 adaptation to circumstances ; but, to use a conveniently 

 erroneous phrase, the variations arose spontaneously. 

 The fruitless search after final causes leads their pursuers 

 a long way ; but even those hardy teleologists, who are 



