New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-10-20

SECOND LECTURE. By PROF.. AGAssIz

Iosuite Wisdom displayed IN the animal CTsstoo he
Structure Of Radiaed Anlmsis. General DiFnicn %
tbs Type..The Fcyps..- Their Iooe ~ >ee-sienc =
ana Dix.fion... Node Of Rsproducr0n..- Have The
PoiyI. Nervous systsm.....C Coral Reels
The Hall Of the College Of Physicians and Sur
geons was again completely filed last evening oy
the audience assembled 70 hear Professor ASAssL.
7, was indeed rsty ing to fad such brilliant and
crowded sssemolsge collected on such an occasion.
A, hslfpa.t o'clock the Professor entered the
Hall and uas greeted with cordial applause On
its subsidenoe he proceeded to deliver tie follow
Ing Lecture
LADIES ASD GssTLENEs: In beginning these
Lectures epdeavored - show that the student Of
Natural History should aim AZ higher object thAn
the mere knowledge Of isolated phenomena
even the study Of en- accurate ciassilca'0h = u''
the highest point u sbifh our tildt can arg. C.
There is a more elevated view oi the study o' va
ture than that which We should always Keep H
eht when We enter on such he.H u iH'Ss'.sa
Ion. IL is 10 consider Nature as development OF
the thoughts Of the Creator. Regarded Ia tnat
aspect.every object at once assumes greater isi-
norrance. aud becomes invested with new and sg-
perior value IL our eyes
There was another point which touched but on
il shall not now d.ell as shall repeatedly have
occasion 10 show that II is the true view 10 which
vi
that there IL a plan. general plan. IA the works
az creation We will be able 10 shO~ that even
isolated classes are made according 10 one precise
plan. yea that we must refer at once tie creation
Of these things TO the undertaking OF nisher
Power. a greater W isdOm, than mans power o.
mans wisdom.
After these preliminary remarks / proceed TO
sboY that the animal kingdom Is constructed &C
cording 10 four different notifications Of the ar
rangement Of the parts.
What nsturalists intend when they speak Of
what they call types Of the animal hingdom
NAV be easily understood by comparison. We all
know that architects construct our dwellings &C
cording 20 plans conceived by them before the cree
ton Of the cdihce and # we take general view
of the works Of domestic architecture We shall see
that they all agree ia respect They are spaces
circamscrlbed by walls. covered by roof aud are
designed 10 afford shelter, comfort and even all the
loxures Of life. All these structures IRON me
humbest hut TO the proudost palace, agree IN this
general object and We may say that they are all
constructed according to one plan, though 1t may
be subjected TO endless variety Of modification.
Again. those who have studied and prsciiccd
music know very well that they can rom icnda'
mental harmony. produce great many variations
and vet among these variations they VIII very
readily recognize the prncipalIUne. w ell IN Ma
ture we will re ably discover one fundamental har-
nony throughout the works Of creation. and We
will soon perceive that the variations OF the dihcr-
eut types can all be reduced 10 that general prnci
nle Nav. We can 20 farther aud recognize IA these
four types a fundamental idea which IS common Ia
all The iundamt ntal tune in the animal Kingdom
is life while the endless varieties are the thoughts
of the Creator diversified IN iDulte degree, and
all ia such way as altogether transcends the III
telgence or even the fancy oi man. Thus, ~
whatever way We regard this subject, our conte m
patons must always at last fix Oh the great Archi-
tect of the Universe
These four plans are. as mentioned first. the
rerfebyafd to which man belongs and the higher
animals AS call them, the mamfnalia' BIRDS, rep
tiles and fishes. They all agree ia one respect
that they have an internal frame Of bones surround
I'd By flesh. and that under this covering Of hafd
aud soft parts there cavities containing the
viscera-the different organs by which We digest
our food and breathe, and by which the blood Is
circulated and another cavity above that contain.
inc the organs of the higher functions OF anifnal
life. the brain and spinal marrow, the organs Of
sense the nerves. This type has an arrangement
of parts which may be expressed 10y very SIMPLE
formula aud rs chemists have adopted iOrmu'e 10
express the composition OF Inorganic bodies, W.
may adopt formula 10 express the general siruc
tnre of ORGANIZED beings figure, then, like the
mineral : would express the general arrangement
of parts IN all vertebrated animals. The ceutre Of
the two bodies being the body OF the vertebra col
umn the upper arch or cavity representing the
cavity containing the brain and forming the upper
region of the animal aud this lower cavity contain
lug the vscera- all surrounded 10y iiesby parts
from which some appendagcs IN the higher animals
proceed 10 form the limbs. shall have occasion
10 show how the arms and legs all conform to the
different arrangements of the rertebrat0 We can
trace these notifications from the lower type OF
fishes where the arms continue attached IN conuh
uous forn-Or snakes, where there are no external
legs nevertheless there are some such organs OF
locomotion connected with the walls OF the body
All these snalogies may be traced aud be actually
shown by direct demonstration.
The next type is that Of the Grf'cniaia then
there is the n0Huscd the third and the radiofa
the fourth type All these three types agree In one
respect that their organs contained in one and
the same cavity. There IS but one cavity But
the nervous system, as showed, differs IN its gen
eral arrangement and all differ in another essential
polnt-in the mode in which they are formed
When speaking of the formation OF animals within
the egg, shall have occasion to show how iunda-
mental are these differences They are such that
the germ of al articulated ANNA is formed Just re
versely to tha, Of the mOllascd. These differences
in the formation OF the animal have been traced IN
80 many animals from the egg up TO the period Of
full growth, that there can be no doubt ON the sub
ect and there can be no doubt that the popularity
IN the location of the nervous centre IN the lower
portion OF the body of the ariculatd has reference
10 the mode Of formation OF the germ and develop
ment of the raw individual
These facts may be very readily observed in the
eggs OF the crab and the spider 1t is more difficult
10 investigate this in the eggs OF insects because
they are not so transparent. In them the delicate
process OF the formation Of the new individual is
not easily traced. But in the crab II is very easy
to observe it. | need hardly say that this is one
of the most interesting and wonderful things IN
the study oil the animal kingdom.
In the first type all the parts branch as 1t were
IN all directions and form radiated animal and
in these different rayswe Of the alimentary
canal there Is anterior and posteror region
ing u the general adaptation OF the parts 10 the gen
era arrangement Perhaps the differences which
are notorious between the form types may no, be
essiy comprehended now, but hope when enter
ine into more details with reference to the struc
ture of the various types to make this part OF the
subject better understood
My object in this recapitulsiion was % show that
this division of the animal kingdom was really
based on this Intimate structure-Ou the very foun
dation oi the plan according 10 which they have
been constructed and that this division has not
been adopted merely for external differences per
ceivsd between the various types Of the animal
kingdom.
shall now proceed to demonstrate the structure
Of the radidicd animals
My object in beginning with the lowest type Of
animals IS 10 show how wonderfully organized are