328 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



1 i .". , and m b • \ I and proportion of a wondrous 



i He argued that anatomical science bore directly upon 

 the iHeury of cvolutiou, for the evolution of species is the de- 

 yelopmcnt ol toe!* structnra, ••Evolution is true, and in 

 preaching the doctrine of evolution, which I now give notice I 

 shall do on all proper occasions, I shall tell you the truth, noth- 

 ing bUt the truth, but not all the truth, for vast truths are yet 

 to be learned. In these days of unnrccedented activity cer- 

 tain great questions arc nutated in which anatomists are largely 

 concerned, and in the solution of these problems the anato- 

 mist's research is the fountain head of biological Wisdom 

 When 1 say that evolution is true, ! do not imply that the doc- 

 trine in its present shape is the whol i truth, or is entirely free 

 it. ,11 error, but 1 do say that every item of exact information 

 we haveacquired respecting fhe'origin of species tends to eon- 

 firm the probability of the general proposition that the relation 

 which :-|> ■!■:: ;: 'vill.ua j :n 11 vl 1 1 u:i 1 s. sustaint o each other is 

 simply the relation of parent to offspring, and direct experi- 

 mental evideilct' of this has accumtililitd till it tenders I u 

 scn.ion so highly probable that the negative of the proposition 

 cannot be logically entertained. The contrary can lie honestly 

 maintained only in ignorance of the premises or by false rea- 

 soning that leads to irrational conclusion. Those who really 

 seek for truth at any price have nothing to fear, for truth is 

 never at variance with itself. Those who want only Siifch trill b 

 as ha|ipens to salt them have everything to fear from the rev- 

 elations of anatomical science. To desire any particular truths 

 to the exclusion of any others is thoroughly unscientific and is 

 a conviction of prejudice which is unworthy of recognition as 

 a respectable enemy. In science a man lias no business to have 

 any -wishes or wants respecting the upshot of any problem he 

 may investigate, for the simple reason that his emotions do not 

 effect the facts, while I hey do influence the judgment; nor has 

 the desirability of any given theory anything to do with the 

 tacts. In the special case of the human species neither horn of 

 the dilemma ispreferable to the other, and if one of the horns 

 is more agreeable than the other, Unit has nothing to do with the 

 question which Is the right and which is the wrong horn. 

 What we are. WO are, whether created by miracle or by law. 

 It does not detract from our intellectual pre-eminence to know 

 t aat we have no mental attributes, the possession of which in 

 some degree can be denied to brutes; and if it did the fact would 

 remain the same. Again, even if we make the nobility or ig- 

 nobility of our conceptions respeoliugthe origin of man the test 

 of l.lu.-ir truth, the biologist has still the best of the argument, for 

 evolution, or the making of animals to make themselves, is a 

 COnl i prion worthy of the highest possible ideas of creative in- 

 telligence, while the contrary implies constant tinkering. If 

 we admit that a single species may develop from any other 

 species, the whole ease is virtually conceded, and this simple 

 hypothesis is susceptible of as direct and complete experimen- 

 tal proof as any proposition can be outside of mathematics. 

 Species are born to die as inlividvals are born to die, and the 

 struggle for existeucc is continual: it is a question of the sur- 

 vival of the fittest running through the whole course of nature. 

 As strongest nations overcome the weaker, as good govern- 

 ments are more stable than unwise ones, so even down to the 

 lowest forms of creation, the best suited to their surroundings 

 will survive. The rocks of ages bear the impress of this de- 

 structive evolution, the sands of time are strewn with the 

 WTCCltS "'' created beings." 



The lecturer proceeded loshow that man has actually cre- 

 ated different, species, by submitting eggs of one and the Same 



ccies to hatching under different artificial conditions of tem- 

 perature, and instanced the case of the German naturalist 

 who hatched two sets of butterflies from the same brood of 

 clil's, by varying the conditions of heat and cold, lie claimed 

 thai man might represent different species at different stages 

 ..I lie. embryonic growth in the same individual. There arc 

 not wanting those wlto admit in a general way the truths of 

 evolution for plants and brutes, but stick at man, making his 

 origin miraculous, and himself a pivotal point; around which 

 the universe revolves, chiefly for his accommodation; but em- 

 bryology teaches us differently. In his ttVj Sterious journey in 

 the Womb, man begins asa minute massbf protoplasm without 

 form or structure- -a moner if you phase — exactly like one 

 of the protozoan auimaleuhe. from the egg stage he takes 

 some short quick steps in which be resembles the adult of va- 

 rious lower animals. With the first appearance of a primitive 

 backbone, man somewhat resembles an a.seidian. He next 

 struggles into a tish-like creature, still falling short of a liab, 

 having, like the auiphioxus, a back bone, but no skull or brain. 

 Gaining tin se, he passes through a fish stage, and with the de- 

 velopment of the amnion and allanlois becomes a reptile. 

 Birds, in structure, are so much like reptiles, that, cmbryoloh 

 ioally speaking, to be one is to be the other, and the next step 



.i mamma), of man. as soon as that characteristic inam- 



... str.i.-ime. \\\>- i„'.,<. i,l,i. is .lev. I,. p. d. At I his stage I he 



ntute man is absolutely in.lisi ii.-j.uislioi.b- b\ any test (rpimmv 



. mammal, and it would bo impossible to say whether the 



.-.,,,,,. , i. alure was going to be a nun. a dog or a rabbit. At 



nine months of age man casts aside the temporary organs, mm 

 first acquiring the ability to live separately from I lie parent 

 stem, and at this stage his general configuration is indistin- 

 , |, Jo 1 1 .in thai of an ape; nor is it until about two years. 

 , : vh'e-h time the hind limbs grow mora rapidly than 

 other part*, ol the body, thai he armvestft tbeerecl attitude, 

 Ids ehii ■ el teri tic at di tin lashed from the arjihrop "■' 



apes. The entire withdrawal of the lour limbs from the olliees 

 ol mere locomotion and the perfection of the structure of the 

 band hi; di'iuiLoiishedirom the foot makes the hand — rii instru- 

 ment of the soul" and signalises Hie final triumph of nature in 

 t i,. . ... in. -oi of organized beings. There is a. profom 

 niiieai.ee in the steps by which fch« bodj is i n ived from stmc 

 tureless protoplasm to be the - medium of relation between th 

 inner man and the outer world; and especially significant is in.- 

 cliniigeat. birth, when with the casting off of now useless Or- 

 gans that formerly bound him down, man enters upon his new 

 , , .iiial existence assuming far wider and higher relations 

 with the world around him.' The lecturer earnestly begged 

 those who might flout at science, or defy it. to pointer ou (he 

 wonderful analogy between such physical birth and another 



alleged birth when all physical organs are dropped, and to 



consider whether every I rue revelation in sm ,,■■■- 



shadowand enforce some oiher truths that s. t :. m! , ■ ,u 



never disclose. 



The lecturer claimed that even in man. the highesl on rted 



bei i" i found defective arrangements, as forinstar.ee the in- 

 guinal i us! which has not being sufficiently remodelled to suit 

 the altered requirements of the erect, posture; consequent ly a 

 i-i :■■ : " ■nra-eof the human race suffer hernia. 



1 n defining t he term species, the lecturer said, it Was formerly 

 held that a species was a natural entity, and represented 

 a distinct creation. The teaching of biological science and 

 comparative anatomy bud changed the old notion, that an as 

 semhlage of individuals, winch bear to each other the ■•elation 

 ol parentto Offspring, and Which reproduce each after their 

 kind with little or no variation of zoological character, e. ul.l 

 be I., rnieil specific. While retaining the convenience of Classi- 

 fication, vve know that species are no more natural integers than 

 genera or order, are, lull depend with them upon relation of 

 parent to offspring. Practically, for convenience in nomen- 

 clature, we retain Hie term -p. cies. but give it a new and na.t- 



Ita assemblagi of individuals as agree or differ but slightly in 



their zoological character, but always with the clear under- 

 standing tjiat such as3emblagois derived trom sue! 



sembbiges which did differ, and thai such ; .iil.i . , , . 

 maybe-, Constantly varying, in other words splitting up into 

 yet. other species. When a set of individuals acquire any re- 

 cognizable ditierences, yvc call it ;i variety. VVheo the differ- 

 ence proceeds a little further, and the connecting links are lost 

 or destroyed, we call the result a species. Ndbura rwiifaeilsal- 

 t.ii.s nature does not take leaps — her mutations are gradual, 

 ufl.cn imperceptible. If we look at, the geological periods, Silu- 

 rian, Devon an. Jurassic, etc., we might think from the classifi- 

 cation and illustration in works on that science, that the differ- 

 ent Strata were the result of entirely distinct eras, whereas 

 they glide imperceptibly into each oilier, the end of the one 

 and beginning of the other being difficult to determine. 



During the course Dr. Coues took up the various points of 

 comparative anatomy, illustrating them in the light of such 

 principles already advanced, adopting the synthetic mode of 

 teaching, by progress from the simple to the coinpli 



•self had 

 lectures was mostly upon 

 inch the anatomical ideas 

 ■trv and many others were 

 eh of the classification of 

 lies man to classify, show 

 ass. aud sub-kingdom he 

 ,d using them in illustra- 

 equally applicable to all 



the rational method 

 built up 850,090 species. One of hi 

 the large number of definitions in 

 of morphology, homology and teleoi 

 elucidated. lie proceeded to ask, 

 the animd kingdom, selecting I he spi 

 ingtd what genus, family, order, i 

 belongs, defining all these groups B 

 tiou of the principles of cla-siliealioi 



the rest of the quarter of a million species. Jn elaborating the 



characters of the gre.it sub-kingdom vertebrata. he took occas- 

 ion to-fully describe and illustrate the morphological idea of a 

 vertebrate, and continued with a rapid outline of the animal 

 kingdom, beginning with the very lowest animals, Mouers, 

 Gregar'uuis, Uhi/.op ids and Sponges. 



In one of his lectures, referring to the doctrine of Evolution, 

 lie said," Grid speed the day when the glorious truths of evolu- 

 tion shall be preached from every pulpit in the laud in place 

 of illusory traditions that now dim the perceptions of the peo- 

 ple— when such truths shall be preached as a means to the 

 intellectual, moral and spiritual advancement of the human 

 race, and when the religionist, the artist and the poet shall be 

 made sharers in those triumphs which now cause the breast 

 of the scientist toswelf with conscious pride." 



Litter from Dublin, 



WFI.K MATTEBS AND SCOUTS IN GENERAL — MAiltIB I.EACIl'S 

 STRATEGIC VICTony— IRISH VOl.CXTKERS To THE fRo.NT. 



Dtuu.iN, May 12, 1877. 

 Editor. Forest and Stream : 



As I promenaded Graf ion street Uiis afternoon, I had the 

 pleasure of meeting, face to* face, that most enthusiastic of 

 riflemen, most happy of speech -makers, Major Leech. Alter 

 the. usual formalities of greeting, what could be mora natural 

 than to inquire of this irrepressible rifleman what he intended 

 doing this year with his famous team, and wdio were to form 

 it ': The information given was such as might be expected— 

 that the team would carry out us own programme in Ireland 

 aud England, but that its members were at present unknown. 

 It was, of course, supposed that those who have made their 

 names known throughout both continents would still keep 

 their old places, but it was also inferred that others might 

 loom up whose names as riflemen are not as yet enrolled on 

 the scroll of fame. .Strange hopes arc entertained that the 

 Elclio Shield yvill grace the Mansion House or Rotunda this 

 year, aud that the Irish will again prove their right to bear 

 arms. This assertion about bearing arms reminds me that I 

 have heard t hat Major Leech has won a splendid diplomatic 

 contest, and has almost achieved what no Irishmen, not even 

 the mo3t gifted aud influential, could achieve since 1783, 

 This is n0 less, ,/,• fiUltO, than the right to shout for the 

 Queen's prize, Now, as that prize can be shot for only by 

 volunteers, it. follows that if the Irish are permitted to com- 

 pete for it. they must organize volunteer corps. As this is a 

 privilege heretofore denied tbein.il is certainly a great victory 

 to obtain, especially from the most ante-Irish ol govern- 

 ments — that of Earl Bcneonsficld. 



The mode in which Major Leech moved on the enemy 

 showed that he is an aide strategist, and belongs to the same 

 school of military tacticians as General Grant, Hannibal, 

 YWileiir-toin and others; for when he fails to accomplish his 

 purpose by a direct assault he resorts to flanking. In this in- 

 stance he went, to Lord ISelmore first, and got him to sign a 

 resolution asking I hat the Trisb be allowed to compete for the 

 Queen's prize. That done, he received the signatures of the 

 leading noblemen of Ireland, and closed the list, of forty noble 

 petitioners with the name of the Duke of Abercorn, the late 

 lord lieutenant of Ireland, and the president of the Irish Rifle 

 Association. Should their prayer be granted, volunteer clubs 

 will be organized, and it will then be seen what, the natives of 

 the Emerald Isle can do with the " grooved lube." as I hey 

 can then bring their best men forward. At present, rifle 

 shooting is confined to a very few men; not enough to rep-- 



resent Ireland except in the most remote manner, and they of 

 course must feel that they cannot compete with all England 

 and Scotland, where men arc not, only allowed to i 

 but taught to use them. It would be just the same as if a 

 dozen of them were to challenge the whole of the British 

 kingdom. If the prayer of the petitioners is granted, this 

 most unjust discrimination between the different sections of 

 the empire will cease, and the Irish must then stand on their 

 own merits as riflemen. The efforts of .Major Leech in this 

 matter should he seconded ov all lovers Of shooting in both 

 countries, as it. is by all just, men; and for the sake" of ihose 

 men who have shown so much pluck and perseverance, let US 

 hope that his struggle will be crowned with victory. 



1 am sure that no persons would be more pleased to bear 

 that the Irish had obtained such privileges as would enable 

 them to compete on more equal terms than their late aud 

 most admired Joes, the riflemen of America. During my 

 rambling around town I met Mr. Edmund Johnston and Mi. 

 Wmi Kigbj in their places of business. The killer keeps a 

 shooting gallery in hise.Mahlisbmcnt, but, in comparison with 

 a similar institution m the United Stales, von might sav that 

 it was scarcely visited, owing to the paucity of the number of 

 persons who have the time, money and inclination to indulge 

 in such pastime. During my sojourn here 1 heard no intima- 

 tion of the international contest between an all-British and an 

 American team, so if such a movement is on the carpel it 

 must, it sic. ns to mi 1 , have originated in England. There 

 certainly was an impression, prevalent in one quarter, thai if 

 such a team was organized it might be able to win the laurels 

 now worn in New York, but the idea did not seem to have 

 assumed definite shape. I, for one, hope such ft contest will 

 take place, as it will prove, in quite a satisfactory manner, 

 the superiority of the different rifles, the various systems of 

 loading, aud the best positions for shooting accurately. That 

 the result would be in favor of America is, I apprehend, the 

 opinion of those who have paid close attention to the matches 

 that have been held thus far. 



As I am writing from this "dear, dirty Dublin," which 

 Lady Morgan loved so well, I may as we'll attempt to give 

 some idea of the outdoor amusements to be seen hero almost 

 daily. 



At the head of the list may be mentioned horsc-racinc. 

 Enter Phoenix Park at any hour in the afternoon and you will 

 be sore to see groups of ladies and gentlemen galloping 

 wildly over the green and elastic turf, or engaged in 

 friendly races with rivals of other groups. The number to be 

 seen at one time will not of course compare with that of Rot- 

 ten Row during the season; but one thing maybe said in 

 favor of the Dubliuites, and that is, that alf are good riders, 

 whereas the grooms claim that honor in Hyde I'afk. Did the 

 Dublin gamins see a man ride badly' tln-v would chaff him 

 most, unmercifully, and suggest to him to gel inside, straighten 

 his back or reverse: his position, so tliat playing the cavalier 

 there becomes a matter of no small uiomeul, unless one is 

 actually a cavalier. Ladies are treated with moie courtesy," 



but even they do not always escape j ./. re, though 



good-humored, criticism. The race courses around' Dublin 

 are better attended during the season than those in any other 

 portion ;t tfe world, in froporli n tc populeii it b.it TV.t 3 

 greatest tun is the hurdle and steeple-chasing. When the 

 coursers approach a six loot wall, and there is danger of the 

 entire group of steeds and jockeys breaking their necks, then 

 is the enthusiastic native in the region ol bliss. As the flying 

 horses skim over the seemingly impossible leap, they receive 

 a true Irish cheer, loud aud long, while those that come to 

 grief are regarded with a feeling of pity not unmixed with 

 contempt. As the "toppers'* bound from the obstacles ihey 

 are recognized immediately, and the involuntary comment's 

 of, "There goes a Galway "man!" "That's a Galway mare'" 

 or, "That's an old blazer!" are made aloud. None of the 

 prurient curiosity which Punch attributes to the Irish gentle- 

 men who go in search of the "staggerers " that they may be 

 present when the horse and jockey become corpses can be 

 seen, so that the clever skit was merely intended to show the 

 tremendous ellorts the Irish horses must make to clear the 

 walls and dykes. Polo is also very popular in Dublin, and 

 the military matches always draw audiences as socially mixed 

 as those to be met in New Aork. The polo clubs are com- 

 posed exclusively, I, believe, of army officers, and as they have 

 the Park to play in (hey do not demand admission fa 1 , 

 auditors. Cricket is also very-popular, and clubs, each sur- 

 rounded by a heavy group, may he seen scattered' about in 

 every direction. Yachting is one of the very ele.. ; , , . 

 turn's of the Dublin people, and few sights are more interest- 

 ing than to see their fleet put out from Kingston dui'mtr a Stiff 

 breeze. The yachts, as a rule, are not so large as those, be- 

 longing to the New York Club, but thev scorn more home- 

 like when once you tread their decks. They seem 1,0 be made 

 more for comfort than display, being solid, rather broad, and 

 having a good hold of i.he water. They are by no means 

 mere racing shells, willi sky-scraping spars and canvus 

 enough to run an old 71 -gun frigate. 



Boating is also a favorite amusement with the young men, 

 though it does not seem to be as popular here as \n Eie.hun!. 

 One reason may hit tle.t the people do not support it, so 

 cordially as they do other amusements, and its lovei I art 



therefore, compelled to.' fall back (jjj their own resources for 



its support. During my runs up and down the Lilley, from 

 Oai lisle Bridge to the North Wall. 1 did not see over two 

 crews out at, one tune, and ihev, fr. in their cut and style, 

 were evidently flmversiiy men. In mentioning this fact I 

 tun, ol course, speaking from mete observation. : ,, I made no 

 effort to (live mil 11. i and eel, the numbers and member- 



ship of the clubs in existence. 



Military reviews are another great, attraction to the ' 

 pi this city. The Irish seem very fond of martial pomp and 

 parade, hence all musters and reviews are toady attended 

 These generally occur in Phoenix Park, so that this piece of 

 rolling plain is the scene of more manly exercises than tiny 

 other spot of equal area in the world. Here may be sclii, at 



one lime, cricket, polo, loot-racing, di-plays of , , , , 



and mimic war, while the groups of cut bust;, s.tie lookers-. .11 

 would prove most conclusively that the Irish are e.\e, lied by 

 no people in their love of athletic sports and outdoor recrea- 

 tion. jilouiiMEC K'r.cey. 

 . — •- ^ — 



Stoddahd's Cactrioge Loabixt; 1miu.emf.xt No,' 

 time to send for No. 10. The sooner you possess yourself of 

 soon will you appreciate what it is to bare a conven- 

 ient and handsome implement for prepariuj j ,., 

 Don't think if expensive because it costs more limn ,,, ol 

 the others, which it combines. It is one-seventh the size, 

 and costs less than one-half. See adveri. emrnt in an. 1 .,. 



column, 



