Ernest William MacBride

“ This animal is like a large newt, but, unlike the newt, it does not lay eggs, but its young are born alive; they come into the world as little four-footed beasts provided with long feathery gills attached to their necks. They live in the water for six months and then their gills drop off and they come on dry land.
The Changing Salamanders.
Kammerer chose almost black specimens and kept them in cages the walls of which were painted yellow, whilst the floors were covered with yellow earth. In these cages they lived for four years until they were fully grown. ”

“ A distinguished American naturalist, named Cope, pointed out that the changes in the structure of the fossil animals were just such as we would expect if they bad been caused by progressive changes in habits as the surroundings of the animals changed. ”

“ About thirty years ago, when the fossiliferous rocks of America began to be thoroughly searched, most wonderful successions of animal life were found in them, and it seemed quite clear that we were dealing with the records of evolution ”

“ The great brawny arm of the blacksmith is an acquired character, and so is the deep expanded chest of the professional singer. Now, everyone knows that babies are not bent with brawny arms or expanded chests ”

“ Now, a question of this kind cannot be settled by observations on men and women. There are so many disturbing factors which enter into the calculation. A man may have a brilliant father, but at the same time he may also have a very stupid mother. A man may have brilliant gifts, but, owing to lack of opportunity, these may never have been cultivated.
A Royal Experiment. ”

“ In the good old days a Monarch claiming his position by divine right might allow himself to try experiments with human beings, but nowadays we are not allowed to experiment with our fellow men. If, therefore, this all-important question is to be settled. it must be by other means.
About fifty years ago a German professor called Weisman took up this question. He bred large numbers of white mice and he cut off their tails as soon as they were born and raised litters from these mutilated specimens in order to sec whet her the offspring would be born without tails. ”