New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-11-04
THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.
SIXTH LEcruHE-sY PROFESSOR AsAssIz.

R.por,d r Tie Tribune BY Dr. R.,oa Ssno.rspter tSsns
Remarks explanatory the Lecturers View. with regard
the Succession Of Animals in Sociological Times His
Views entirely different from those advanced in the
"Vestges of Creation" Character OF that Work.
Trochoids The Pumonata. The Cutie Fish"
Interesting Peculisrss in the Organization Of these
Animals. Fossil Shells.
LADIE. AND GEsTLEnEs Several questions
having been put to me with respect to the views
which entertain in regard to the development OF
organic life, and some observations having been
made with respect to the tendencies of the facts
presented in my lectures | deem it necessary to
explain what understand in reference to the sue
cesson and development of organic life.
These words are constantly used and some
times in very different senses, so that there is IN
finite misunderstanding among those who use the
same words and mean very different things by them
When we speak of what comes later We OF
course have reference to what comes before. We
will take for illustration the chick. From the time
when the egg is laid to the period when the ma
tured chick is hatched, succession OF changes
takes place. This epoch between the formation Of
the chick and its fall growth is called its develop
ment and the changes which such an animal under
have often limited the meaning Of metamorphoses
to the changes which we perceive in the butterfly
in the caterpillar where these changes are inter
rupted and are very striking. Everybody knows
that butterfly is formed from a caterpillar out OF
an egg. The caterpillar. or wormllke animal, az
ter it has grown to a certain size undergoes a
change-it assumes a new form, the form OF the
chrysas. It. is motionless and so remains for
certain time till out of this comes living butt erhy
with all its brightness and vivscty Of limb. Now
these changes have usually been called metamor-
phoses although not so striking nor interrupted In
such manner as TO form distinct ages in the life Of
the animal. They pass from one to another and the
early state OF the chick, for Instance, is so dssim
lar TO the fall grown chicken that noone recognizes
them If they have q chance to compare them But
il we can trace all the intermediate stages we find
that they are connected in such manner that
there is no interruption to the succession OF these
cbanges-and thus we do not in that case usually
sneak of metamorphosis but Of developm ent, and
such development is also called the progress Of
an animal during the different stages OF the egg
In a metaphoric manner we are also sccustome
70 sneak of metamorphoses in the animal kingdo m
through different ages of geological time. Every
body knows that the earliest geology has been m sde
80 clear that | suppose all know that the strata
which form the crust Of our globe contain a
great number of fossil remains-remains OF fossil
/ beings in all classes of the animal kingdom-and
when tracing the whole succession OF these animals
we find that the most ancient strata-those which
form the lower beds of this crust OF the earthar
different from those which found in the interme-
date beds and which differ again from those found
/ in the uppermost beds
Now in this succession OF strata and OF animals
through the whole range OF geological ePochs, We
have what is considered progress. We fad that
| the types in all the lower beds resemble the lower
types of the now living animals. Tor instance, !
! have mentioned that the brachiopGde among the
/ mousca are the most ancient acephae w e ma
among the vertebrated animals that hshes only are
found in the lower beds There no reptiles, no
birds no mammslia nor any OF the higher classes
of the animal kingdom. And here, again we may
sneak of progress in the succession OF types. w 9
I can speak, also, OF netamorphosis Ia the animal
| kingdom, but not in the same sense IN which We
sneak of the metamorpbosis OF an animal because,
I when we have q butterfly arising from caterpil-
lar then we have one and the same animal contin'
| ually living without interruption, and passing
through successive changes while, when wesPesk
of the metamorphOses OF the animal kingdom oil the
different Classes-Wnen We spthA luf lhseahSc' VI
! the metamorphosis OF the class OF acalephs, and
consider the brachiopQds, monomyaria and dimya.
/ ria as different stages Of this metamorpbosis. OF
course we would have here a succession OF differ
/ ent types different animals, unconnected mate
rislly-not the same living beings undergoing these
| changes but a number of distinct individuals IN
| connected with each other, not derived from each
other Nevertheless, there is IN their succession q
great analogy striking analogy with the changes
! the progress the development observed IN one and
the same individual while growing from the egg TO
the full size therefore. what We call metsmorpho-
sis progress development, IN one sense, Is entire
| ly different from that which we call BY the same
| name in another case. In the succession oil the
changes OF an individual We have really progress
in one thing but we have in the other case pro
sress of the plsn-and progress on plan arising
| in succession Of species which do not descend
from each other-which have never been derived
from each other, two different individuals OF one
| and the same species derived IRON each Other
| through successive generations.
Therefore we should never mistake these two
| things In the one have individual sue
| csssions of chsnges-in the other case We have q
! oIsn which il successfully modified and where the
ro,,sss Is introduced by series Of species under
acknowledgement from each other, changes and
| IN that view in such progress, such graduation
| only IN the plan We recognize the mode IA which
49,, .nccsssion 40 introduced proceeds in different
epochs. -r--... =. -.
! / make these observations IN reference 70 some
| remarks made and questions when agree WIN Ger
rain philosophical views entertained iH so'pv duAl
ters Now have not 70 teach sts La
nv but 10 give sketch Of Natural History OF the
! Animal Kinedom-but as 4 know ledge oil the AM
mal kingdom has constantly bearing on PsnO
sophical questions, of course you cannot AVON &c
ference 10 them Bat would only make ths as
tiaetiou that in the case Of the nesanorPn0sss u