270 THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES 



they serve to excrete mutter in excess, or matter injuri- 

 ous to the system; but can we suppose that the miuute' 

 papilla, which often represents the pistil in male flowers, 

 and which is formed of mere cellular tissue, can thus 

 act? Can we suppose that rudimentary teeth, which are 

 subsequently absorbed, are beneficial to the rapidlj'' grow- 

 ing embryonic calf by removing matter so precious as 

 phosphate of lime? When a man's fingers have been 

 amputated, imperfect nails have been known to appear 

 on the stumps, and I could as soon believe that these 

 vestiges of nails are developed in order to excrete horny 

 matter, as that the rudimentary nails on the fin of the 

 manatee have been developed for this same purpose. 



On the view of descent with modification, the origin 

 of rudimentary organs is comparatively simple; and we 

 can understand to a large extent the laws governing their 

 imperfect development. We have plenty of cases of rudi- 

 mentary organs in our domestic productions — as the stump 

 of a tail in tailless breeds — the vestige of an ear in ear- 

 less breeds of sheep — the reappearance of minute dan- 

 gling horns in hornless breeds of cattle, more especially, 

 according to Youatt, in young animals — and the state 

 of the whole flower in the cauliflower. We ofteij see 

 rudiments of various parts in monsters; but I doubt 

 whether any of these cases throw light on the- origin of 

 rudimentary organs in a state of nature, further than by 

 showing that rudiments can be produced; for the balance 

 of evidence clearly indicates that species under nature do 

 not undergo great and abrupt changes. But we learn 

 from the study of our domestic productions that the 

 disuse of parts leads to their reduced size; and that 

 the result is inherited. 



