| → OMIT 1869 |
| water. 1866 |
| water, and grasping stones with its feet. 1872 |
|
| → not the least 1866 1869 |
| it exhibits no 1872 |
|
| → can be detected 1866 1869 |
| OMIT 1872 |
|
| ↑ 1 blocks not present in 1866 1869 1872; present in 1859 1860 1861 |
| On
the other hand,
the acutest observer by examining the
dead body of the water-ouzel
would never have suspected its sub-aquatic habits; yet this anomalous member of the strictly
terrestrial thrush family wholly subsists by diving,— grasping the stones with its feet
and using its wings under water.
|
|
| → not furnished with membrane, of the 1866 1869 |
| of 1859 1860 1861 |
| not furnished with membrane of the 1872 |
|
| → —the water-hen and landrail are members of this order, yet the first 1866 1869 |
| yet the water-hen 1859 1860 |
| — yet the water-hen 1861 |
| — the water-hen 1872 |
|
| → is 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
| and landrail are members of this order, yet the first is 1872 |
|
|
→OMIT All the members of the great order of
terrestrial, excepting the genus Proctotrupes, which Sir John Lubbock has
discovered to be aquatic in its habits; it often enters the water and dives about by the use not of its legs but of its wings, and remains as long as four hours beneath the surface; yet
→not the least
modification in
structure
→can be detected
in accordance with
abnormal habits. ↑
|
|
| He who believes that each being has been created as we now see it, must occasionally have felt surprise when he has met with an animal having habits and structure not
in agreement. What can be plainer than that the webbed feet of ducks and geese are formed for swimming?
there are upland geese with webbed feet which rarely
go near the water; and no one except Audubon has seen the frigate-bird, which has all its four toes webbed, alight on the surface of the
On the other
grebes and coots are eminently aquatic, although their toes are only bordered by membrane. What seems plainer than that the long
→not furnished with membrane, of the
are formed for walking over swamps and floating
→—the water-hen and landrail are members of this order, yet the first
→is
nearly as aquatic as the
and the
nearly as terrestrial as the quail or partridge. In such cases, and many others could be given, habits have changed without a corresponding change of structure. The webbed feet of the upland goose may be said to have become
in function, though not in structure. In the frigate-bird, the
membrane between the toes shows that structure has begun to change. |
|
| He who believes in separate and innumerable acts of creation
say, that in these cases it has pleased the Creator to cause a being of one type to take the place
|
