THE COASTS OF SICILY. 65 



numerous roads after a time turn off to the right and 

 left, diverging more and more from the central route. 

 It is evident that those travellers who have entered 

 upon these branch roads will deviate more and more 

 from one another, in proportion as they advance. 

 Here, then, in those who have reached the greatest 

 distance from the general starting-point, we have a 

 representation, in some measure, of the superior 

 animals; whilst those who have only advanced a 

 short distance from the main road, represent the 

 inferior animals. The Salmon, to which we lately 

 referred, the Cephalopods, the Insects, and Crusta- 

 ceans correspond to the active travellers, and these 

 manifest scarcely any points of resemblance to one 

 another ; while the Amphioxus and the Annelids cor- 

 respond to the sluggish pedestrians, and amongst 

 these we discover many points in common. In the 

 same manner the two sub-kingdoms of the Vertebrata 

 and the Invertebrata, which appear very dissimilar to 

 one another when they are studied in their higher 

 representatives, are very nearly brought into contact 

 through these lower species, which may be regarded 

 as degraded representatives. 



We see how thoroughly in the Amphioxus every- 

 thing appears to have been created as if for the pur- 

 pose of affording the most complete refutation of 

 those doctrines which have been advanced by 

 naturalists, who, either through adherence to an 

 antiquated science, or perhaps from the fear of in- 

 curring labour and fatigue, look with contempt upon 

 the study of the lower animals, and rejecting the 

 consequences which may be deduced from it, appeal 



VOL. II. F 



