Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-22
SOME ANNALS TOO RICH.
Evolution Has Given Them More Ad-
va4tages Than They Need.

vaftaEes Than They Need.
! From the Spectator.
Certain snakes, of medium size, carry the
most deadly weapon, whether of offense or
defense, owned by any animal In addi-
ton. they have the perfect vertebrate
| structure which Sir Richard Owen so much
admired, and can therefore swim, climb,
and make their way in places where no
other animal Of similar size can go. They
are the best equipped animals of their
kind. Side by side with these are found
snakes of similar size and equal powers,
except that they lack the invincible lethal
weapon. They only carry blank cartridges
in the baltic of life. Evolution seems
rested for no reason; they not only fail to
grow the poison tooth, but do not develop
the power of crushing their prey the
constructors do. 1t would be far easier for
a common grass snake to kill frog by
poison before eating ii, the cobra does,
than to have to swallow 1t alive. 1t would
save it trouble to crush it, a young boa
constructor of the same size would do; but
1t does neither, because it neither has de-
.veioped nor seems in the least likely to
develop the necessary equipment for SO
doing.
BY the theory of evolution the grass
snake ought therefore to GO back in the
world, while the other common English
snake, the poisonous viper, armed with
weapon, powerful as a protection and a
means CT killing prey, increased in size and
exactly what has not happened. Grass
snakes are larger and more numerous than
adders, and there is no evidence that the
absence of the poison fangs in any way
endangers the survival of the species.
1t is difficult to account for the absence
OF any visible failure in life of irsect-feed-
ing creatures competing for existence on
the same food, but with such UNEQUAL phy-
steal means for obtaining it, as are pos
sessed by the swallow, the marmoset the
shreW, the chameleon and the frog. In
TINS list OF five creatures living upon sim
mar food we find that the physical appli-
ances for obtaining it range from the per-
feet development of speed in flight in the
swallow, the addition of hands for capture
activity in the shrew the power of as
Stunning color exactly similar to that of
environment III the chameleon, supplement-
ed by special apparatus for shooting out
the tongue and capturing insects when
motionless, to the absence of any sDectaI
equipment at all, except that of q rather
long tongue, in the insect-eating frog.
Yet the frog, destitute of all these spe-
cialized appliances, lives just as we'll as the
swallow, the shrew, the marmoset or the
chameleon, and at least one species, the
barking frog, finds that to get on in the
world 1t has only to be still and wait till
creatures walk frto Its mouth. 1t has ac-
CURED a skin color suited to its environ
nent, and large mouth. But it is not
ana could never be, considered well pro-
Vlded for getting its living.
Our estimate of the physical means and
appnances necessary for the survival and
Wen being OF animals is probably set too
hlgh. We judge the Needs of all from the
perfect development and acquired powers
or many, perhaps of most, which evolution
mas provided with appliances in excess of
their real wants. Most animals are over
equipped Evolution has run riot and pro-
Vlded them with means and metal far in
excess OF their needs, just as il has pro-
Floeo them with an exuberance of orna-
ment, which delights u.s. but must already
Ia Cd cd hltr
Probably the cats. great and small, would
al once be named as the best equipped of
all classes of predatory creatures and the
preaatory creatures are by necessity su-
perior in most forms of physique to those
on which they prey. They are all "buiIt''
on one plan, with a special armament of
teeth, sheaths to keep their claws sharp,
muscles Tor springing suddenly to great
distances, padded feet to deaden the sound
OF their movements, and color adapted for
concealment. These acquired appliances
are in excess of their wants
The polar bear, which cannot spring and
mas no sheaths for its claws, and has lit
lie OBVIOUS provision to aid 1t in SWIM
ming, catches and kills animals larger
than those killed by the tiger, and can XIII
them in the water. The wolverine or slut-
ton, which is heavy, slow and has the feet
OF a ferret, gets its living as a carniyor-
Gus animal no less well than the tiger cats,
which have a far more specialized eoun,
rnent for their work
There Us actual evidence from the fossil
bones of tigers that this excess of eouip-
1nent once went further, and has been dis
carded as superfuoGs. An extinct species
developed canine teeth of such enormous
size that 1t has been named the 'saher-
toothed tiger" The teeth were too long
Tor Its jaws, and the modern species use
shorter weapons, just modern ironclads
are provided with lighter guns The curl
ing tusks of some of the mammoths and
me paimated horns Of the Irish elk were
also in excess of requirements and are
modlfed for use in the existing elephants
ana reindeer. Many monkeys possess a
thumb. but some do not, and there is no
evidence that they are therefore at O dis
aoVantage Tor their non-progressiye life
In the case of the wingless hirds-tbe
auks, penguins. dodos, and apteryxes-
tnere was no surplus of equipment 1t was
only sufficient for their maintenance before
man and other predatory animals attacked
them. Such instances of undereoIJinment
are rare, and the preponderance lies who'll
~ In the opposite direction. While some
spiders not only have poison fangs but
also spin web, others exist equally we'll
Whlch make no web al all. Perhaps q more
striking instance of surplus equipment is
that Of the fruit-eating bats The bat
which catches flying insects needs wings
But there is large class of bats found IN
all tropical countries which live upon
fruit. 1t would be quito enough for their
needs to be able to climo the trees in or
der to eat the guavas, Dlantains, and rose
apples. But their wings are larger aud
stronger than those of the insect-ea ting
bats. The heads Of these bats are so mod
lhed that they resemble those of a dog or
fox. while their wings. which might have
been expected 10 become atrophIed and re-
piaGea by climbing limbs, have acquired
additional power. An 'tall-round" eouip-
ment IS rare in nature. But for the linn
Tied purposes of securing su:ficieEcy of
tho 1000 necessary for the existence of a