Dy) REMARKS ON THE FIGURES OF PLATE XLIV. 
equal to what we ordinarily find in the human type, 
namely, the cervix terminating at the seventh unit, and 
the thorax ending at the nineteenth unit of series. But 
in figs. A, B, and C, we find that the lumbar, sacral, and 
caudal regions of series, vary as to the number of their 
constituent forms. 
In fig. A the lumbar region of series comprises 9 units. 
In fig. B it is imited to the number of 7 units, and in fig. 
C we find only six lumbar forms. The sacro-caudal series 
in each of these species, varies also as to the number of 
units under metamorphosis. 
It should be remarked of fig. C, that the cervical spine 
which appears to consist of 8 units, may not have been 
thus developed in the original; its cervix may have pre- 
sented the usual number of seven vertebre; but whether 
this were the case or not matters little to our present 
reading, which will discover no greater marvel in the fact 
produced as we have seen it, or perhaps mistaken it, than 
attaches to the mammalian cervix of the sloth, which 
actually produces nine units in the cervical region of 
series, the 8th and 9th cervical forms being minus the 
costal arches, which remain as plus, and therefore as 
thoracic quantities in other mammalian cervices. 
Figs. A and B produce the serial axis as consisting of 
42 proportional quantities. Fig. C produces its serial 
skeleton axis as consisting of 50 units, the proportionals 
of plus serial achetypes also. 
Now fig. A terminating at the caudal proportional 42, 
may be interpreted as thus ending by the archetype having 
undergone the extreme of subtracted quantity. From unit 
42 has been metamorphosed all that plus quantity which, 
had it existed, would have rendered it equal to a thoracic 
archetype. Hence, as from unit 42 of fig. A, the subtrac- 
tion of any further quantity would annihilate itself, so may 
this further process of annihilating subtraction be said to 
have taken place for all the units indicated by the numbers 
succeeding. ‘Those units which would have taken order 
from 43 to 60, are now non-existent by reason of complete 
metamorphosis, or the subtraction of a quantity from each, 
equal to the integral costo-vertebral quantity, and thus 
9—9=0. The archetype quantity minus the archetype 
quantity terminates series at the last caudal ossicle. 
The law of species follows pari passu after the law of 
form, and attends upon the presence of this latter as if it 
were its satellite. -The law of form is the process of 
gradation, or the subtraction of parts from plus serial 
quantities ; and directly as this metamorphosis takes place, 
directly special variety holds that place. The shadow 
reigns over that region always where the beam of light 
has ceased to exercise its dominion; and what is shadow 
but a state of negation, consequent upon the absence of 
the positive entity of light? Is shadow an ens ?—It 
cannot be regarded as such, while we have reason to 
interpret it as a mere state of negation, or the absence of 
something; for to regard shadow as a palpable entity 
would be no less absurd than to set down the dark void of 
ignorance as being a presential substance, while experience 
proves that the God of day, like the torch of knowledge, 
dispels the phantom nothingness of ignorance and shade. 
If we will follow the progress of the law of form, by 
the subtraction of quantity from plus uniformity, we 
shall plainly discover that the condition of what we name 
special variety is a mere state of the absence of some 
form or quantity proper to plus uniformity, and hence that 
species is like darkness, or like ignorance, a non-existence 
or absence of a something, just as a—d. 
Figs. A, B, and C, are special to each other by the 
selfsame operation of that law of metamorphosis or sub- 
traction which has rendered the serial units of either 
fig. A, or fig. B, or fig. C, special to each other in the 
one axis. The subtraction from plus quantity is that 
process whereby unit 20a, of fig. A, holds its present 
special or minus character in the same line with all the 
thoracic plus quantities above itself; and, when we would 
furnish the ideas with the knowledge of what form or 
quantity is now lost to unit 20 a, of fig. A, we have 
then only to view it persisting in any unit of the plus 
costo-vertebral thorax, or else make search for it in 
some other skeleton fabric, whose serial unit numbered 
20 a, develops costz, or, in addition to this evidence, the 
proof may be found by comparing fig. A. to all species of 
that same cast, and we shall not fail to find that unit 20a, 
develops somewhere amongst these, the plus costal forms. 
Every unit of skeleton series may be subjected to the like 
rule of comparison, and to the same result. 
The same law of metamorphosis or subtraction which 
creates the cervical and lumbar forms of fig. A as minus 
specialities in serial relation with the plus thoracic arche- 
types,* performs in like manner for figs. B, and C. It is 
the same law which also degrades for the caudal series of 
figs. A, B, and C. The convergent, or caudal series of 
figs. A, B, and C, are evidences of the degree to which 
subtraction has been carried upon the plus costo-vertebral 
originals ; and general comparison, while holding to the 
fixed numerical position of the serial order of each unit, 
will prove the truth of this reading. 
The law of subtraction or degradation of plus uniform 
serial archetypes does not exercise its influence to the 
same degree upon the same units of all skeleton axes, and 
hence arise their serial varieties ; nor does this law practise 
to the same degree upon all the same units of even the 
same species of skeletons; and, hence, occur their - 
“anomalous” plus or minus characters. The same law of 
subtraction from serial plus quantities does not terminate. 
the caudal region at the same numerical point for all axes, 
nor for even one skeleton axis, invariably; and hence 
happen the varieties as to length, presented by these 
appendages. The existing length of every skeleton axis 
is a proportional of the transcendental or ideal length 
of an infinite right line. 
* “Ta partie a des rapports au tout, universe est un systéme immense de rapports; ces rapports sont déterminés réciproquement les 
uns par les autres. 
Dans un tel systéme, il ne peut rien y avoir d’arbitraire. 
Chaque état d’un étre queleonque est déterminé naturellement 
par l'état antécédent ; autrement V’état subs¢quent n’auroit point de raison de son existence.”—Bonnet, La Palingénésie Philosophique, ou 
Idées, &c. ; tome i., huitiéme partie, p. 312. 
