4G0 COSMIC riULUXOFUY. [pt. il 



form. It is a familiar fact that the arms of men and apes, 

 the fore-legs of quadrupeds, the paddles of cetacea, the wings 

 of birds, and tin breast-fins of fishes are structurally identical, 

 being developed from the same embryonal rudiments. Ex- 

 ternally there is but little resemblance between the human 

 hand and the hoof of a horse ; yet anatomy shows that the 

 horse's hoof is made up of claws or fingers firmly soldered 

 together. Turning to the annulosa, we find that all insects 

 and crustaceans — dragon-flies and mosquitoes as well as crabs 

 and shrimps— are composed of just twenty segments. " What 

 now," asks Mr. Spencer, " can be the meaning of this com- 

 munity of structure among these hundreds of thousands of 

 species rilling the air, burrowing in the earth, swimming in 

 the water, creeping about among the sea- weed, and having 

 such enormous differences of size, outline and substance, that 

 no community would be suspected between them ? Why, 

 under the down-covered' body of the moth and under the hard 

 wing-cases of the beetle, should there be discovered the same 

 number of divisions as in the calcareous framework of the 

 lobster?" But two answers are possible. We may either say, 

 with the Mussulman, " it so pleased Allah, whose name be 

 exalted ; " or we may honestly acknowledge the scientific im- 

 plication that such community of structure is strong evidence 

 in favour of community of origin. 



IV. The facts of geographical distribution and geological 

 succession are likewise in complete harmony with the develop- 

 ment theory. On the hypothesis of special creations, no good 

 reason can be given why the extinct animals found in any 

 geographical area should resemble, both in general structure 

 and in special modifications, the animals which now live in 

 the same area. Thus the fossil mammals of Australia are 

 fchieily marsupials, allied in structure to the marsupials which 

 now inhabit that continent ; the extinct mammals of South 

 America closely resemble living sloths, armadillos and ant- 

 taters. ' I was so much impressed with these facts " says 



