New-York tribune., 1894-04-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
PARALLEL ENOLUIlON'

Is
ecientists who not satshed WIN 'v ,.,.,,,-
would 60 to the length Of attributng TO cre"'"'s
49, ,,,r,oeo of aaapt!ng Themselves To the heenS
=, ne I'm, his observations on the parallol u
,o,onrna,, Of animals in way related /" va"
other nuts curious emphasis on eh'i0'''
II is easv TO follow him as he points ou'
similar habits Of burrowing nave D'o"e"' -.
the definition "rnole-like' a very H"sOe''''
assortment Of animals: but 1t Is not 0'e"'
this parallelism has been factor !" ~
He shows that the two forces "hich "'V va
IN such A case are the adherence 70 d s'''' =
os structure on the one hand ana adap'
.,oo,aI mode Of life on the other. The result
,.an outward resemblance that seems 0'"
NTH an inward diversity that is posi'iVeN
u,,dering Judging by the external mains r.i
,,or observation has made one name SCI ''''.,
.,-os rra creatures are numerous to wh0ih ''e
-. ..r,o,e, riehtfully belongs. But IN Cdpe
Co,onv the title IS applied TO an amman WIN"
s,re-s widely from its namesakes IN sUuc'uiV
An .,a ,,o,as have broad naked HANDS ea0i.
.,r,,,bad with five toes carrying long haUeleu
,aus IN addition 10 which there Is a s'oNe
.xtra hone internally 10 the thui"O'
America has the shrew-rnole which, thoue" P.tf .
erlv named is marked by the iacH =,
s,ckle-like bone II is thus less sPec'H''n'U
the true mole. and Il may be suppoSeO
hack 10 a time Of still more general io'iNs' -
o.,a- characteristic Of the true mole Is '@
q lives on insects. So far the case -
for the golden mole Of the Odle -
Hone II eats insects. 1t Is as o''''1
INV mole could be But us 'ee'" a. .s.
unIike those Of the ordinary moie' anu ~ -.
are armed with only four ogNS' - ,,,..ro.
80, rair are small while the two middie oi'es
- :. root mower That is 10 say. the cred'-
:. ,,arsrtlv on the way TO possessing d
- ,.,,h o,l, two digits. the rest having IaHe"
- . q rudin,entary condition. Ihere di'
-, .-ooies NJ this golden mole, ana one l.
49,. &C ,,rl,La the true mole as all 'he ieS''
D., - look at its shape and 10 see the way i
freaks the surface of he grouhu Hi'o
-, ,+s tunnelling one would say tha' i Co"'u -
no,bing else than mole. II you P"' -
tben YOU come 10 the mole-rat OF oo"'i -
r,uron. and the bambOo-rats OF ->oi
A.rica and the neighboring parts ol 1Ns''' ~
eor-,,a- with ewes covered by skln' 'he i"'.'
nth uncovered eyes and small, naked Cd"
showing that it has not yet become as i''N0 -
r,oIe as its relative. Botn these c4e"'" =,
-odonts The trouble is. they do not look
their real character. Inere are ~ .o,,or,
49, ,,o,a group. for example. that nave 'aNe''
10 he
= o,har hand there are plenty OF rOuei'S
-. h,rrovr without assuming any likeness -
=, o,a II the mere practice OF puIIo"'"s
- ~ ,o,g run causes a likeness 10 'he nIoi''
-. hacones Of the numerous eNcePuoii'
who're are also burrow!ng marsuplals VIM. - -
IT. rooIes They belong TO AusVa'ia-
,,.a,ures complcate matters py haNi"e
.aws and uolar teeth just ike those VI ,''e
ro,a., mole Of South Africa. though o'ne'"'s
unrelated 10 H. -. aor +usks
Then there are creatures tha'
VT, the wild boar and his congeners' tlleSe "'o
80 on.nsve and defensive weapons. Inc "'S.
49,, ~ the rh.noceros and the snarp ia'0e Va
~. naruhal appear TO be Of use. But '"e '"'
.usks Of the elephant seem TO be merely oi'''-
,,ental and the Asatic species mas u'0Pr0N
,hsrn altogether far as females are 0o'
o~,-,.d and occasionally neglects thenl III -.
r,se of males But II that absurd wiz Pe
49, ca,sbas Islands known as the babirussa' be
NNe -ss1~oa 1, will he seen that Nature has done
- host 10 make the wearing Of tusks RIDICULOUS.
- ..,, creature has tuslis growing upward
-. y. both laws. and the oaly wonder is now
!. ....s ~ all And these tusks bend in such
- .ba+ they cannot be used against an en-
80 ubils they continually threaten 70 pierce
A.. sr,,l of their owner Among carnvorous
t,a,s tho famous sabre-toothed tiger seems %
..va disappeared mainly because his frigh'lul
,a.tb starved him to death. or course 'usAS
mo not alike Some continue 10 De siInple
teetb. while those Of the elephant take on
rba-aoter of their own. But il might DE- sup
need that there would be some rule about 'he
tseth that developed into tusks. With lana
na-r,,ora these are canine teeth. but with
ntbar animals nature is capricious. Ihey are
almost as frequently incsors as they are cannes
30 that tusks apparently similar may De III
nowise homologous with one another Never de-
yeloped 10 any size in animals with large craIiai
appendages in the form OF anteTs or horns' tushs
are frequently wanting in those lacking the
latter Primitvely their use was undoubtedly
as weapons OF attack and defence or TO ara IN
nrocuring vegetable food; but in many cases
they have subsequently undergone a develop
ment beyond such purpose, and are thus in this
resrs-t analogous 10 the antlers Of many stays
In other instances. however-and this in all the
groups in which they occur-they have under
rome a still further seni-rnonstrous develop
rnent rendering them. If not actually harmful.
probably in some cases inconvenient 10 their
owners. Lastly. the Independent acquisition in
closely allied or widely separated groups OF man.
mails OF tusks very similar in structure and ap-
pearance shows how little. reliance is to be
placed on external characters as indicative Of re-
iationshp.
These likenesses among creatures otherwise re-
mote from each other cannot be traced to imita-
tons. Animals diverse in structure and yet one
the image of the other in shape. may be sep
arated from each other by hemisphere. II can
not be supposed that the talpa-form is the ideal
one for burrowers. TO which they must all. sooner
or later. conform. since other creatures, as good
diggers the mole. show no signs Of adopting
its figure or its velvet coat. On the other hand,
II is hard to see how Mr.. Lydekkers new pr.n-
ciple Of parallelism in development does any
thing more than restate the fact 1t is true that
creatures with apparently no reason for doing 50
come TO act and look alike. This truly be