FINAL SELECTION 



For instance the teeth and claws of a cat are 

 associated with its carnivorous habits and are 

 linked with a certain structure of legs and muscles 

 adapting the creature to spring forward with great 

 celerity upon its prey. 



A somewhat different structure of body and 

 limb is associated with the talonless feet of the 

 dog tribe which are adapted to rapid running for 

 prolonged periods rather than to sudden leaping 

 and clutching. 



It was by careful study of the correlation of 

 parts, of which these are only crude and familiar 

 examples, that Cuvier was enabled to gain an 

 insight into the characteristics of fossil animals 

 of which only small fragments of skeletons 

 were preserved in the rocks. The science of 

 comparative anatomy was the outgrowth of his 

 observations. 



Now it is at once obvious to anyone who studies 

 plants attentively that their structure also shows 

 a corresponding and no less invariable correlation 

 of parts. The more conspicuous illustrations of 

 this are obvious to the most casual observer — 

 various adaptations of form of tree and shrub and 

 vine to their natural surroundings are so patent 

 that they cannot escape attention. 



But of course the plant experimenter must deal 

 with correlations of a very delicate order. He 



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