ORGANIC EVOLUTION. 41 



reasonable expectation, however, is far from 

 being realised. In numberless cases, such as 

 that of the fore-limbs of serpents, no vestige 

 of a rudiment is present. But the vacillating 

 policy in the matter of rudiments does not end 

 here ; for it is shown, if possible, in a more 

 aggravated form where, within the Mmits of the 

 same natural group of organisms, a rudiment 

 is sometimes present and sometimes absent. 

 For instance, to take again the case of limbs, 

 in nearly all the numerous species of snakes 

 there are no vestiges of limbs at all ; but in the 

 python we find beneath the skin very tiny rudi- 

 ments of the hind limbs. Now, is it a worthy 

 conception of Deity that, while neglecting to 

 maintain His unity of ideal in the case of nearly 

 all the numerous species of snakes, He should 

 have added a tiny rudiment in the case of the 

 python, and even in that case should have main- 

 tained His ideal type very inefficiently, inasmuch 



