JMiscellaneous Facts in Zoology. 311 
that certain casualties during gestation, have an influetice on 
the offspring of the class Mamalia—why may not the like 
circumstance affect the embryo in the egg of birds. Again, 
we know that when the eye becomes fatigued with behold- 
ing the glare of one colour, it is relieved by changing the 
colour—or if a colour be viewed for some time, the opposite 
will be painted on the retina—thus when we look on the 
bright light thrown by a burning glass on any object, a black 
spot is produced in the eye, and if we look steadfastly on a 
black spot made with ink on a white sheet of paper, or moy- 
ing the eye a little, a luminous spot will be seen on the pa- 
per, much brighter than the surrounding part.* Will not 
these two particulars taken together, account for the above 
anomalies ? 
~The causes which have produced the varieties in the hu- 
‘man species, are but little understood. ‘Too much is per- 
haps attributed to the influence of climate. There are ma- 
ny reasons to satisfy an unprejudiced mind, besides the un- 
erring testimony of the bible, that the whole race of than 
has sprung from one and the same stock. The five princi- 
- pal varieties mentioned by Blumenbach—the Caucasian, 
Mongalian, Ethiopian, American, and Malay—may all have 
arisen from some such accidental cause as those noticed 
above, or such as occasions the albinos of our species. That 
species can be continued from such accidental varieties, ap- 
pears from the following account published in Edwards’ 
‘Gleanings of Natural History, and in the 424th No. of the 
Philosophical Transactions. Edward Lambert, or the Porcu- 
pine man, was at his birth like other children ; but in eight. 
or nine weeks his skia turned yellow and then blackish, cov- 
ered with conical protuberances, which formed a rugged 
covering all over him, except his head, palms, and soles of 
his feet. This man had six children, eed skin exactly re- 
sembled his own. Edwards then remarks—“ It appears to 
me beyond all doubt, that a race of people may be propaga- 
ted by this man, having such rugged coats or covering. as 
himself, which if it should ever happen, and the accidental 
original be forgotten, it is not improbable they may be 
deemed 2) eiffctent species of mankind ; which considera- - 
* If we gaze long upon a bright yellow spot, a blue colour will be painted 
on the retina. Many curious particulars on this subject may be found in 
the first volume of Darwin’s Zoonomia. 
