New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-11-16
NEW-YORK TRIBUNE.
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.
sIurg LECTURE. BY PROP. AGAssIz.

,,,sev u, Tr5pa, By Hon ssHogreyAsro q s S"a'
L.pJsAND GENrLExTS This evening | in
,.osto illustrate the structure aud some points in
ne history Of the vertebated animals beginning
with the GLASS Of fishes.
In yertebrated animals OF the higher group o.
he Animal Kingdom are characterized, ms have
Already stated by striking differences. Their es-
Genital organs,-the nervous systen,-comprisin
,be brnin and spinal marrow and the organs o.
,,eetsiive life the stomach, the slimentsry canal
he lungs, heart and blood.vessels are contained in
no different cavities the former, in an upper
r posteror cavity according TO the position Of the
,nma and the latter the organs Of vegetative lie
be which the animal lives, in the lO1er Or anterior
,,yity These two cavities are formed by bones
,ssre. Of bones called the backbone, having ap.
.sndsres curved upward and uniting on the back,
aiming the cavity which contains the spinal mar
,,w. Other appendages are turned downward,
sometimes uniting. sometimes terminating between
me soft walls OF the animal forming a lower CAVITY
IN which the alimentary canal the lungs, the heart
snd other viscera are contained.
La these three skeletons on the wall you may
"a these general traits OF the vertebrate, Just as
we'll as in any Of the higher classes. You see that
4, these skeletons the yertebral column is uudl
,ided in it's whole length and not divided as IN
these by transverse calculations Few hshes have
inch am undivided vertebra column. These belong
-. neculiar class TO which shall refer. Gen
rally the yertebrated animals have this column
lormed OF divided bones moving upon each other
In those which have an undivided vertebral column
,gs have "Reminiscences of the condition oil things
when the animal was 10 the egg and the Vertebral
column was merely cartaginous strlng-the so
called dorsal cord which is the foundation oil the
vertebrsl column in the new Individual when very
voaDg within the egg; and this vertebral column
remains soft in May fishes. and in those which
must be considered as the lowest. These only IN
their foil grown state preserve the character OF the
embryO IL is d peculiar condition OF things-a
most extraordinary condition OF things, which re-
card as of high importance ia attaining correct
understanding OF the succession and eradation OF
tvpes in geological epochs ] had the good fortune
10 notice when investigating these fishes, that
there are fishes which in their iull grown state
bibit in their vertebral column, precisely the same
STATE Of things as existed in the fish when forming
within the egg HTB
The first thing which is perceived in the EI&
6,h when tie substance OF the upper lay ei &R0
Of the egg is condensating- di- HUY
yided into orsans-is a series OF lateral X%
eoadensations, and between that there Il 81
, continuous string which has received n
the name of dOrsal cord That Is the iOun "A
1s,ion OF the backbone or vertebral column Gl4lQ
hi. certainly cartlaginous IN the embryo, kHlW
and remains so 10 the sturgeon and In seve H6A
r,leutiaginous fishes and this is most ex &U&
usordnary to say the natural and Uniform EeM
eopdtion OF all fishes OF ancient types In k18&4
The ancient strata--in the strata below the
oo.i AZ the beginning Of the creation OF animal
Ms when the fishes were first introduced in the
waters all the fishes had this peculiar condition OF
beyertebra cOlumD-bony appendages, but no yer