EVOLUTION. 91 



point of view, what is more beautiful than to imagine 

 us, in centuries and centuries of time, gradually grow- 

 ing better and better, stronger and stronger and more 

 perfect, until, by the gradual growth and survival of 

 the fittest, the best we have ultimately reaches full 

 perfection. I think that the theory of evolution is 

 the only one that will explain the peculiarities of our 

 living organisms." 



During the latter part of the session of the school, 

 and after Professor Morse's lectures upon evolution, 

 we had a few words upon the subject, though in a dif- 

 ferent direction, from Professor Putnam. Mr. Put- 

 nam is as valid and sound a reasoning non-evolution- 

 ist as is Mr. Morse an ardent and theorizing evolution- 

 ist. I well remember how, one day, the former stop- 

 ped suddenly in a lecture upon fishes the myxine 

 being the subject of his talk and after looking at us 

 for a few moments with one of his tired yet kindly 

 smiles, said: 



"As this is my last lecture, and as so much has 

 been said already concerning the theory of evolution, 

 and that in its favor, I think it but fair that a few 

 things should be said to you upon the other side, and 

 I propose, this morning, to give you a few facts that 

 have led me to place myself on that side: 



"Of the three lowest branches of the vertebrate 

 kingdom, we have represented the lancets, the myx- 

 ine, and the lampreys. Now! if the theory of evolu- 

 tion is correct, we would naturally expect to find these 

 three groups differing only in such a way that one is 

 the higher power of the other; but, what do we find? 

 In trie lampreys, the highest of the three classes, we 

 find the eggs forming in the oviduct, and falling free 

 into the abdominal cavity. In this little myxine, be- 

 sides other peculiarities, there are no oviducts." 



Here the professor explained in full the formation 

 of the egg, and the other peculiarities of its growth, 

 etc., and said: "Thus we have an animal next higher 

 than the amphioxus, (the lowest form amongst the 

 vertebrates, and cited by many as the connecting- 



