ii2 A nimal Morphology . 



or principle, which fails not to assert its pre-eminence, even 

 in little and trivial matters. But the leaning to grow out- 

 wards and to move outwards has a wide-spread application ; 

 but a law or principle of mechanism in Nature was first 

 suggested by the fact that many mechanisms of man in 

 their grand finale had a backward motion, but in animals, 

 though capable of backing, yet their natural motion was 

 forward, or in the direction of the head. The conclusion 

 arrived at was that the combined actions of muscles turned 

 towards some one particular axis, or point. 



The direction of fish, in their combined muscular motion, 

 is centred towards the head ; birds near the sacrum, or near 

 its juncture with the vertebrae ; and mammalia towards the 

 seventh cervical vertebra, but for man a double axis is 

 claimed, one at the sacro-lumbar articulation, and the other 

 at the seventh cervical. 



Of course, there is no intention of giving a laboured 

 account of the numerous data and details used in coming to 

 such a conclusion. Neither is there any request made that 

 the conclusions may be accepted as correct, because no 

 reasons are given. 



The object of giving these conclusions is merely to 

 facilitate description, and that one point may be steadily 

 kept in view namely, that gravity and resistance are the 

 leading elements for consideration in viewing the greater 

 part of the osseous and muscular system, as one compre- 

 hensive and complex tripartite membrane. 



A fish has, properly speaking, but one limb namely, the 

 vertebrae and muscles posterior to the dorsal region, or 

 region posterior to the ribs. The fins are as so many side 

 sails to poise and adjust motion; but, to speak in vernacular 

 language as distinct from scientific, the tail has the major 

 motion and the chief propelling motion, or the posterior 

 limb of the fish is, so to speak, the only limb of the fish ; 



