AND COMPARATIVE ANATOMY. 45 



fecundating powder to the female organs ; and, from tbe 

 supposed structure and use, the creature received the name 

 o^ spJiex cribrnria. Unluckily for the compliment thus de- 

 signed to nature, the part was afterwards discovered not to 

 be perforated *. 



Others, again, have so firmly believed, not only the wis- 

 dom of creation, but their own insight into it, that they 

 have called In question the existence of particular arrange- 

 ments, because they could not discern the purposes to which 

 they are subservient. Thus, when Blumenbach pointed 

 out to Camper that the tadpoles of the Surinam toad {rana 

 pipa) have tailsf, this great anatomist was disposed at first 

 to deem the specimen a monstrosity ij; ; because he could 

 not comprehend for what purpose these strange beings, so 

 curiously lodged in the dorsal cells of their mother, should 

 have the swimming tail of the common tadpole. 



A distinguished English naturalist has argued that tlie 

 fossile elephant bones must belong to some species still ex- 

 isting; because, says he, " Providence maintains and con- 

 tinues every created species ; and we have as much assur- 

 ance that no races of animals will any more cease, while 

 the earth remaineth, than seed-time and harvest, cold and 

 heat, summer and winter, day and night." Unluckily for 

 the credit of this gentleman's assumed acquaintance with 

 the designs and schemes of Providence, we have the fullest 

 evidence that many species and genera of animals have 

 been annihilated. 



The philosophic naturalist, guided by comparative ana- 

 tomy, discovers at every step striking peculiarities in the 

 economy of animals, founded on corresponding arrange- 

 ments of organization. We must take refuge either in 

 verbal quibbles, or in an exaggerated and unreasonable 

 scepticism, if we refuse to recognize in this relation between 

 peculiarity of structure and function tliose designs and 

 adaptations of exalted power and wisdom, in testimony of 

 which all nature cries aloud through all her works. 



* Rr.rTMKNBAC'T, Beytrll^e zur Nfifurgesihichte. I r. th<i!, p. 40, note. 

 + AhbiUlnngen Natnrhistorischcr Gegenstcinde ; No. i>G. 

 ;j: Beytr. zur Noting, p. 41, n{)te. 



