Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1885-08-01
EYIpRcEs OF EVOLUTION
Birds are LineaI Descendants OF Reptiles Of
the Most HI1eOus Tvne.


Supreme Being one Of His attributes,
that of a creator. Those partly in
formed regarding the theory, and from
the nature Of the case it can be only 8
theory, think evolution teaches that
man descended from a baboOn or a
Chimpanzee, or was actually one of
these animals. The theory, of course,
does not teach this at all, but only
that every form of life existing at pres
ent is developed or perfected from
some earlier fOTm-as, for instance,
that man and the gorilla are both de-
scendants OF some common prOgenitOr
probably very unlike either.
In the absence Of light on the sub
ject, it requires no more assurance to
say that this reasonable way was God s
way than to affirm that it was any
other way. The fact that some other
manner has been accepted for a long
time as the right one does not make it
right. As the Scriptures do not en-
tighten us one way or another as to
the method of creation. then it seems
JUST as presuming in us mOrtals TO say
that it was by special acts of creation
as that evolution was Gods plan.
LINEAL DESCENDANTS OF REPTILES.
That the birds as we now have them
are direct descendants of or mOdifi-
cations Of the early reptiles every one
who has studied the subject believes
not descendants of any reptile existing
at present, perhaps, but Of some pre-
existing species from which both our
birds and our reptiles have descended.
In fact, the account of creation Civ
en- In Genesis nearly says so. 1t says:
'tAnd God said, Let the water bring
forth aDundantly the moving crea ture
that hath life, and fowl that may fly
above the earth in the open ornament
Of heaven. "
The beaks Of many early birds whose
remains are found in the rocks were Of
a lizard-like character and bore true
teeth. In our birds they are greatly
modified, and so diverse thatit formed
the basis Of q classification now nearly
gone out of use, the only true and safe
CLASSIFICATION being known as the
mOrphOlOgical one, or that based upon
the form Of the bird, especially of its
skeleton.
The bill classification is very faulty,
as for instance all of the long, thin
billed birds were put into the same
class. This included the humming
bird in the same class as the nut hatch,
birds differing so materially in form,
habits and skeleton that a mere tyrO
would not think of placing them in
the same order.
Although not characteristic sul1i-
cientlY distintiVe for a classification,
still the terms used are Of value in de-
scribing birds, and one looking at a
collection with this il view will be sur
prised at the great variation IN shape.
- ~
suited to its habits and mode of OBJ
tanning a livelihood.
WHY THEY DIFFER.
Every one knows the difference be-
tween a hard and soft bill; the former
for cracking seeds, and the latter for
eating insects. A glance at the robin
and sparrow or finch bill VIII show
the distinction. There is also a SINH
larIty between the long bill of the
robin and that of the wOOdcOck or
snipe, both of which bore into the
ground for insects The WOOdcOck,
however, depends entirely upon this
method; consequently its bin is longer,
thinner, and provided with a cover
ing which is very sensitive, so much so
that it can not bore into any but very
soft earth, and it is by the presence OF
these holes. or "bOrings," as hunters
call them, that their presence is de-
tected. The bill Of the meadow lark
is for the same use, but they also eat
berries and fruit, hence they are pro
vided with the angle IN the beak.
which enables them to swallow quite
large substances
In Florida and other states where
vegetables are raised in winter the
meadow larks spending the winter
there make such havoc upon the peas
and beans that considerable loss is
sustained. They can open q pea pod
and scOup out the row of peas in short
order. A gentleman in Florida who
suffered loss through them, in answer
to the query what bird he liked best
there, answered, 81 like the turkey
buzzard, because he won't eat any
thing but meat" If he had consider
ed, however, that the larks also eat
the insects which destroy his Vegeta-
bles and orange trees, while the buz-
yards only eats carriOn and an Occa-
siOnal chicken, he would find the bal
ance of good on the side Of the lark.
This same planter heard from a
neighbOr that If he would feed his
chickens strychnia beans it would not
hurt the fowls, but would poison any
bird of prey which would happen TO
steal the chicken. He tried it, and
found next to his surprise WhatP
Dead chickens2 No, but dead hawks,
and the chickens as gay ana happy as
ever. The reason probably Is that,
being grain eaters, the fowls were uu-
affected, but IS the hawks ate the en-
trails containing the poison, and be-
ING meat eaters, their digestive sYs-
TENS took in the strychnine, resulting
In death
MADE TO ORDER
Among the odd notifications o.
bills is the cross-biIl. This bird seem
ingIy would be utterly unable to gel
any food whatever, and when first no
ticed was thought to have a detOrmity
but observation Of its habits showed