Morphology. 67 
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 maintained his ideal very inefficiently, inas- 
much as only two limbs, instead of four, are repre- 
sented? How much more reasonable is the natura- 
Py THON. 
en A. VENT, 
be Mj FE 
oP EEIMNGTION OF 
\ f 
RuoimenrARy HiNp-LimBs 
Fic. 8.—Rudimentary or vestigial hind-limbs of Python, as exhibited 
in the skeleton and on the external surface of the animal. Drawn from 
nature, } nat. size (Zoological Gardens). 
listic interpretation ; for here the very irregularity of 
their appearance in different species, which constitutes 
rudimentary structures one of the crowning difficulties 
to the theory of special design, furnishes the best 
possible evidence in favour of hereditary descent ; 
seeing that this irregularity then becomes what may 
be termed the anticipated expression of progressive 
F 2 
