best I could give.
The bear case (110/4. "Origin of Species," Edition I., page 184. See
Letter 120.) has been well laughed at, and disingenuously distorted by
some into my saying that a bear could be converted into a whale. As it
offended persons, I struck it out in the second edition; but I still
maintain that there is no especial difficulty in a bear's mouth
being enlarged to any degree useful to its changing habits,--no more
difficulty than man has found in increasing the crop of the pigeon, by
continued selection, until it is literally as big as the whole rest of
the body. If this had not been known, how absurd it would have appeared
to say that the crop of a bird might be increased till it became like a
balloon!

With respect to the ostrich, I believe that the wings have been reduced,
and are not in course of development, because the whole structure of a
bird is essentially formed for flight; and the ostrich is essentially
a bird. You will see at page 182 of the "Origin" a somewhat analogous
discussion. At page 450 of the second edition I have pointed out the
essential distinction between a nascent and rudimentary organ. If you
prefer the more complex view that the progenitor of the ostrich lost its
wings, and that the present ostrich is regaining them, I have nothing to
say in opposition.

With respect to trees on islands, I collected some cases, but took the
main facts from Alph. De Candolle, and thought they might be trusted. My
explanation may be grossly wrong; but I am not convinced it is so, and I
do not see the full force of your argument of certain herbaceous orders
having been developed into trees in certain rare cases on continents.
The case seems to me to turn altogether on the question whether
generally herbaceous orders more frequently afford trees and bushes on
islands than on continents, relatively to their areas. (110/5. In
the "Origin," Edition I., page 392, the author points out that in the
presence of competing trees an herbaceous plant would have little chance
of becoming arborescent; but on an island, with only other herbaceous
plants as competitors, it might gain an advantage by overtopping its
fellows, and become tree-like. Harvey writes: "What you say (page
392) of insular trees belonging to orders which elsewhere include only
herbaceous species seems to me to be unsupported by sufficient evidence.
You cite no particular trees, and I may therefore be wrong in guessing
that the orders you