IN MODERN SCIENCE. 



61 



which, while we are looking at one structure or 

 animal, enable him to persuade us that it has 

 been suddenly transformed into something else. 



In tracing the genealogy of man he constant- 

 ly employs this kind of sleight-of-hand in the 

 most adroit manner. He is perhaps describing 

 to us the embryo of a fish or an amphibian, and, 

 as we become interested in the curious details, 

 it is suddenly by some clever phrase trans- 

 formed into a reptile or a bird ; and yet, with- 

 out rubbing our eyes and reflecting on the dif- 

 ferences and difficulties which he neglects to 

 state, we can scarcely doubt that it is the same 

 animal, after all 



The little lancelet, or Amphioxus (see Fig. i), 

 of the European seas — a creature which was at 

 one time thought to be a sea-snail, but is really 

 more akin to fishes — forms his link of connec- 

 tion between our '* fish-ancestors " and the in- 

 vertebrate animals. So important it: it in this 

 respect that our author waxes eloquent in ex- 

 horting us to regard it " witii special venera- 

 tion " as representing our " eariiest Silurian 

 vertebrate ancestors," as being of "our own 

 flesh and blood," and as better worthy of being 

 an object of " devoutest reverence " • than the 

 " worthless rabble of so-called * saints.* " In de- 



