120 CRUISE OF THE BARRERA 



organs of the senses, of digestion, of the circulation, 

 or any particular function, are in a sense merely 

 luxuries and extra gifts, for they are not funda- 

 mental necessities of life. Countless millions of 

 creatures, possessing none of these perfected organs 

 of special purpose, live in our world, fight their 

 battles, propagate their species, and survive, while 

 numerous higher orders, possessing many, have 

 failed in the life struggle. It seems clear that the 

 possession of any perfected special organ imposes 

 at once a dependence upon it which increases as 

 the organ develops. A blind scallop would have 

 small chance, while his near relative the lowly 

 oyster, who has no eyes at all, gets on perfectly 

 well. 



We took here also some specimens of that 

 extraordinary looking fish called the "toro" 

 or "cow-fish" (Lactophrys tricornis). As these 

 peculiar "trunk-fish" (of several species) are 

 very abundant and well known they have been 

 figured and described in many books. Their 

 remarkable feature is a bony carapace that almost 

 completely envelops the animal and through which 

 project the tail and fins, the mouth and eyes. Only 

 these parts are movable, otherwise the body is 



