The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-07-15

Certain snakes Of medium size carry
the most deadly weapon, whether Of Of
Tense or defense. owned by any animal.
In addition they have the perfect ver-
tebrate structure which Sir Richard
Owen so much admired, and can there
fore syim, climb and make their way
in places where 10 other animal of sim
liar 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 car
tridges in the battle Of life. Evolution
seems arrested, for no reason. They not
only fail to grow the poison tooth, but
do not develop the power of crushing
their prey as the constructors do. 1t
would be far easier for a common grass
snake to kill a frog by poison before
eating it, as the cobra does, than to
have to swallow it alive. 1t would save
it trouble to crush it, as o young boa
constructor of tho same size would do,
but it does neither, because it neither
has developed, o seems in the least
likely to develop, the necessary equip
mcnt 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 q protection and
a means of killing prey, increased in
Sivn and pr1y, hEry anI fprly SIC ,laon
Yet this is exactly what has not hap
pened. Grass snakes are larger and more
numerous tEan ladders, and there is no
evidence that the absence CT the poison
fangs in any way endangers the survival
If the species.
1t is difficult to account for the alb
sence of any visible failure in life of in
sect feeding creatures competing for ex-
istencc on the same food, but with such
unequal physical means for obtaining it
as are possessed by the swallow, the
mar1moset, the shrew, the chameleon
and the frog. In this list of five crea-
lures living upon similar food we find
that the physical appliances for obtain
ing it range from the perfect develop
ment of speed in flight in the swallow,
the addition Of hands for capture in the
marmoset, bodily quickness and activity
III the shrew, the power of assuming
color exactly similar 20 that Of environ
ment i'll the chameleon, supplemented
by a special apparatus for shooting out
the tongue and capturing insects when
m~OtiOnless, to the absence of any special
equipment at all, except that Of arather
long tongue, in the insect eating frog.
Yet the frog. destitute Of all these
specialized appliances, lives just as we'll
as the swallow, the shrew, the marmo-
set or the chameleon, and at least one
species, the barking frog, finds that TO
get on in the world it has only to be
still and wait till creatures walk into
its mouth. 1t has acquired a skin color
suited to its environment and q large
mouth. But it is not, and could never
be, considered we'll provided for getting
its living.
Our estimate Of the physical means
and appliances necessary for the survival
and we'll being of animals is probably
set too high. We judge the needs Of all
from the perfect development and &C
quired powers Of many, perhaps of
most, which evolution has provided
with appliances in excess of their real
wants. Most animals are overequipped.
Evolution has run riot and provided
them with means end metal far in ex-
cess Of their needs, just as 1t has provid-
ed them with an exuberance Of Orna-
ment which delights us, but must al
ready have passed beyond animal com.
prehensiOn.
Probably the cats, great and small
would at Once be named as the best
equipped of all classes Of predatory
creatures, and the predatory creatures are
by necessity superior in most forms Of
physique to those ON which they prey.
They are all '@uilt" ON one plan, with
"a special armament Cf teeth, sheaths to
keep their laws sharp, muscles for
sprlnglng suddenly to great distances,
padded feet to deaden the sound Of their
movements and color adapted for con
%cealnlent. These acquired appliances are
in excess Of their wants
The polar bear, which cannot spring
and has no sheaths for its claws, and
has little obvious provision to aid it i'll
swimming, catches and kills animals
larger than those killed by the tiger and
can kill them in the water. The VOL
verene, or glutton, which is heavy, slow
and has the feet Of a ferret, gets its liv-
ing as a carnivorous animal no less we'll
than the tiger cats, which have a far
more specialized equipment for their
work.
There is actual evidence from the fos-
sill bones Of tigers that this excess of
equipment once went further and has
been discarded as s~uperfluous. An ex-
tinct species developed canine teeth Of
such enormous size that it has been
named the ''saber toothed tiger" The
teeth were too long for its jaws, and the
modern species use shorter weapons,
just as modern ironclads are provided
with lighter guns. The curling tusks OF
some OF h mammoths and the palmated
horns of the Irish elk were also in excess
Of requirements and are modified for use
i'll the existing elephants and reindeer.
MANY monkeys POSSESS "A thumh hnt