that we here see the real transitional
grade grade 1861 | grades 1866 1869 1872 |
through which the wings of birds have passed; but what special difficulty is there in believing that it might profit the modified descendants of the penguin, first to become enabled to flap along the surface of the sea like the logger-headed duck, and ultimately to rise from its surface and glide through the air? |
|
I will now give a few examples to illustrate
the foregoing the foregoing 1861 1866 1869 1872 | these 1859 1860 |
remarks, remarks, 1860 1861 1866 1869 1872 | remarks; 1859 |
and to show how liable we are to error in supposing that whole groups of species have suddenly been produced. Even in so short an interval as that between the first and second editions of
Pictet's Pictet's 1861 1866 1872 | Pictets 1869 |
great work on Palæontology, published in 1844-46 and
in
1853-57, the conclusions on the first appearance and disappearance of several groups of animals have been considerably modified; and a third edition would require still further changes. I may recall the well-known fact that in geological treatises, published not many years ago,
the whole class of mammals was the whole class of mammals was 1861 1866 |
the great class of mammals was 1859 1860 |
mammals were 1869 1872 |
always spoken of as having abruptly come in at the commencement of the tertiary series. And now one of the richest known accumulations of fossil
mammals, mammals, 1860 1861 1866 1869 | mammals 1859 1872 |
for its thickness, belongs for its thickness, belongs 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
belongs 1859 1872 |
to the middle of the secondary series; and
one one 1859 1860 1861 | one 1866 1869 1872 |
true
mammal mammal 1859 1860 1861 | mammals 1866 1869 1872 |
has has 1859 1860 1861 | have 1866 1869 1872 |
been discovered in the new red sandstone at nearly the commencement of this great
series. series. 1859 1860 1861 1869 1872 |
series. Cuvier used to urge that no monkey occurred in any tertiary stratum; but now extinct species have been discovered in India, South America, and in Europe, as far back as the miocene stage. 1866 |
Cuvier used to urge that no monkey occurred in any tertiary stratum; but now extinct species have been discovered in India, South America, and in
Europe Europe 1859 1860 1861 | Europe, 1869 1872 |
even even 1859 1860 1861 | even 1869 1872 |
as far back as the
eocene eocene 1859 1860 1861 | miocene 1869 1872 |
stage. Had it not been for the rare accident of the preservation of footsteps in the new red sandstone of the United States, who would have ventured to suppose
that, that, 1860 1861 1866 1869 | that 1872 |
besides reptiles, besides reptiles, 1860 1861 1866 1869 | besides reptiles, 1872 |
no less than at least thirty
kinds of birds, kinds of birds, 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
different bird-like animals, 1872 |
some of gigantic size, existed during that period? Notwithstanding that the number of joints shown in the fossil impressions
correspond correspond 1861 | corresponds 1866 1869 |
with the number in the several toes of living birds' feet, some authors doubt whether the animals which left
the
impressions were really birds. Not a
|