42 . THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCES OF 



as only two limbs instead of four are repre- 

 sented ? Or, again, take the case of the limb 

 in other animals. Five toes seem to constitute 

 the ideal type, notwithstanding that in numberless 

 cases this ideal fails in its structural expression. 

 Now, in the case of the horse, one toe appears 

 to have become developed at the expense of 

 the others ; for the so-called knee of the horse 

 is really the wrist or ankle, and the so-called 

 shank the middle toe or finger very much en- 

 larged. But on each side of this enlarged toe 

 there are, beneath the skin, rudimentary bones 

 of two other toes — the so-called splint-bones. So 

 far good, but three toes are not five ; so special 

 creationists must suppose that while in this 

 case the Deity has, so to speak, struggled to 

 maintain the uniformity of His ideal, His efforts 

 have nevertheless conspicuously failed. How 

 much less strained is the scientific interpreta- 

 tion ; for I may mention that in this particular 



