14 
Nature Portraits 
A SHY GREEN-BROWN CANARY BIRD 
A cross between an Austrian and a Belgian 
because of natural selection — 
because they were best fitted to 
persist. The result, in many 
things, is perfect adaptation of 
every organ and attribute. There 
followed a special literature on 
adaptation and mimicry and the 
By A. Radclytfe Dtigmurc 
A CANARY BIRD 
Coming face to face with its own image in the mirror 
particular racer And he sets to 
work to lind out. He cannot rind 
out as he rides by on his horse — 
especially if he rides a hobby-horse. 
Truth is, this everything-has-a- 
use dogma is in part a reaction from 
the teaching of Darwin and his 
followers. People want to believe 
in definite, final, set things. The 
dogma of special creation was over- 
thrown. Things have persisted 
Copyright, i$oo, by A. Radclytfe Dugtnore 
ONE AT A TIME 
Old and young Indigo birds 
like. The examples may all have 
been true, but one result has been to 
lead persons to look tor adaptations 
and mimicry where there may be 
none. What did it matter if there 
is no special creation ? — there is com- 
plete and universal adaptation, and 
our notions of what ought to be are 
verified. 
But, someone will say, if there 
is natural selection and survival of 
the fittest, adaptation must follow 
