Litchfield enquirer., 1880-11-04
"And The Leaves Were For The Heal
ing OfThe Nations"

This is fully exempliGed in thesdemonstra-
ton that go common a pasture. weed as smart
weed, or water pepper, possesses midicinal
properties which, when combined with es-
sence of Jamaica Ginger and other officacious
vegetable e1tracts, ais fh DIR. FPierce's Com
pound extract of Smart Weed. 1t constitutes
most potent remedy for bowel affections as
diarrhea, dysentery, fiux, etc. 1t is also an
eficacious medicine for colds, and to break up
fevers and infiammatory attacks and for the
alleviatlon OF pain.g EEery family, should
Keep 2 supply 81 II. Y Gsnss oypHlfg's'ss
h Aso.HEs s'dIsslEe 3 LMK.a4 Professor
Owens researches among the South Afficams
fossils have just brought to light another of
those curious connecting links between widely
different classes of animals which the theory
of evolution has led US to expect and which
the diligence of fossil hunters has now made
familiar. Already we have grown accustom-
ed to hear of birds with lizard like tails or
teeth in their jaws, of saurians with. wings,
antof horses with three toes But Professor
Owens new species is one of still deeper in
terest, because it helps us to bridge over the
gap between the mammals and the cold blood
ed vertebrates One by one the CULTS which
separated fish, aInphibian, reptile, and birds
have been filled up and now the last of them
between reptile and mammal, seems in fair
way to-be filled up in its, turn by these South
African remains. The fossil bones in question
are those of an extinct reptile which in some
points of its skeleton offers an analogy to the
ornithorhynchus or duck mole of Australia
the creature familiarly known as ''the beast
with bil,ln The duck mold probably pos
sesses more aliases than any other living ami
NAL but its recognized scientific title has
been. finally settled as platypus and Professor
Owen has accordingly bestowed upon the
South African form the formidable name of
/ ypodosaurus, which sums up its main
| characteristics in nutshell. 1t is, in fact, q
lizard-like reptile with tendency toward GER
| tain low types of mammalian structure
| To estimate the real value of the newly dis
covered creature, and the light which is cast
upon the history of evolution, we must re-
member what are 1.-The peculiarities of the liv-
Eilg dack; mele- hselfS &c Is, indeed; with its
first cousin, the echidna, one OF those remark
able surviving types which occasionally enable
ms, even in our living word, to span the ap.
parent gulf between highly differentiated or
gantic classes. A mammal only by courtesy
the duck mole may be roughly described as q
fur-covered animal which lays eggs 1t is
thus already not very far removed in the mos
Important particular form the reptiles while
on the other hand, it clearly leads us on t.
pouehed animals, like the kangaroos, which
bring forth their young alive, it is true, bu
Lstill ina condition scarcely differing from tina
OF chick in the egg. "a IL Il
While there are still considerable gaps to b.
filed in the series at certain points, we may
nevertheless say that the pedigree of the nam
4 malta from the reptiles is now pretty surei,
made out. Among living or extinct forms w
have, first the premitive reptile; then a rep
tile with nascent mammalian tendencies
next. a still more mammalian but ovovivipar
GUS form; then, again, a group of pouchet
mammals; then a few closely allied bu
pouchless mammals; aud then the variou
lines Of descent eliminating in our highest ex
listing creatures, And the geological success
ion of all these forms is exactly what, on tn
theory Of evolution one would expect to fin
1 it.7eT1e ST. Jmnes's Gazette ~