22 



DARWINISM AND EVOLUTION. 



[Mg.K.-\ [Fig.F] [Mg.M] [Fig.N.] 



the size of a goat, walked on three perfect digits and had, beside, 

 a fourth in a rudimentary state {fig. M.) ; while the earliest 

 ancestor known, the Eocene Oro/iippus, no larger than a fox, had 

 four digits to its front feet (fig. N.) and three to those behind. 



We are thus able to see that an enormous development of the 

 size of an animal, and of organs that it requires, is coincident, 

 at first with a rudimentary condition, and at last with a complete 

 disappearance of organs that are no longer needed. 



HUMAN RUDIMENTS. 



"A/Tan has a number of rudimentary organs. The caruncle (of the 

 -**-*- eye) is a rudiment of the nictitating membrane of other 

 animals (sharks, &c). The skin muscle which is so largely 

 developed and so useful in many mammals, is found in the neck 

 (platysma myoides) where it is quite inactive. 



One of the most interesting of man's rudiments is his external 

 ear, a crumpled and contracted organ, furnished with a number of 

 muscles which are altogether powerless and useless at the present 

 time. But we can have no doubt at all that some of our ancestors 

 were furnished with large, pointed, and highly movable ears. [See 

 Plate, fig. F] 



The male mamma; are rudiments, and the fact has given rise to 

 an interesting inquiry withjeference to the couvade. 



The couvade is a curious custom by which, when a mother gives 

 birth to a child, the father goes to bed and is waited upon. It is 



