662 



SKELETON. 



being the product of a law of metamorphosis, 

 exercising itself upon the whole quantity or 

 unity. 



Comparison teaches me the fact that not 

 only are the fore-limbs of the animal classes 

 varied amongst themselves as to osseous 

 quantity, but I find that even the individuals 

 of any one species have not the fore-limbs 

 developed of invariably fixed and equal quan- 

 tity ; for there is no one species free from 

 the possibility of that occurrence which we 

 term " anomaly." The human hand is seen 

 to develop (by no means unfrequently) a 

 plus number of digital appendages. I have 

 seen the like anomalies upon the fore-hands 

 of the Quadrumana. The Ruminantia now 

 and then develop in the fore-foot solipedal 

 character. The solipedes are known to pro- 

 duce the fore-limbs in cloven stamp some- 

 times. The individuals of every species, I 

 doubt not, would, if we studied them with 

 sufficient care and in large masses, prove 



themselves to be subject to the occurrence of 

 a plus or minus quantitative variety to that 

 character which is general or normal with 

 them. It is because I find that these ano- 

 malies to species are facts not more mar- 

 vellous in themselves than are the facts 

 which vary species to species, that I will here 

 embrace them in the general interpretation of 

 a plus unity undergoing metamorphosis for 

 the creation of variety. The variety between 

 species can be nothing more than the variety 

 which the anomaly proves to the species of 

 normal character. 



There is no member of the animal fabric 

 which more interestingly illustrates the fact 

 that nature adheres to a unity of type than 

 does the osseous fore-limb. Whatever be 

 the variety which fore-limbs manifest, when 

 comparatively contemplated, still we find 

 that the bond of unity embraces and girds 

 within its circlet the whole subject of the 

 variety. A proof of this fact may be seen 



Fig. 483. 



A, the fore limb of the lion ; B, that of the wild boar ; c, that of the rhinoceros ; D, that of the 

 bull ; E, that of the horse ; showing a serial degradation from plus to minus quantity. 



even in the use of that nomenclature, by tude the one to the other, we should not and 



which we designate all varieties of the sea- could not afford to generalise them under the 



pulary organ; for, were it not that all such common appellation ofscapulary organ, 



members proved a greater or lesser simili- The fore- limbs of all osseous skeletal fabrics 



