A STRANGE LETTER.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4131, 18 October 1884, Page 6 (Supplement)

A STRANGE LETTER.

Mr John Bodkin, of the George Hotel, St. Ivilda, Melbourne, has been throwing some light upon tho monotretnatous or monotrcmendous discovery (which is it ?) of Mr Caldwell. For delightful reading, Mr Bodkin's letter to the Argus on the subject could not be surpassed. Ho says that Ilacckel, in one of his plate 3of the pedigree of man, ' makes reptiles branch of? from amphibia and connects the latter through promammalia" (from which spring existing monotrernes) with pouched mammals. The well-developed coracoid bones, which do not coalesce with the scapula:, as in other mammals, and the union of the clasieles by means of the sternum, arc slroTig osteological links between existing monotrernes and reptiles, and through those with birds.' This puts the .thing clearly in a nutshell. The veriest schoolboy could not fail to understand that, especially if he wanted a smoke and had no tobacco, he could claim kinship with a 'pouched mammal ' at tho George Hotel. Again, if seven feet of well-developed coracoid bones did not cotdcsco with thescapulic, they would require osteological links to keep them from falling to pieces, some to creep like reptiles, and others to soar like birds. Scientists may ' get the needle' at the simple language of a bodkin, but wo ignorant people who do not understand big words thank him sincerely for his valuable letter. We shall learn it by heart.