The sharp-eyed lynx, outfoxed by nature

Natural History, June, 1998 by Stephen Jay Gould

Not merely of the exterior eyes, but also of

the mind, so necessary for the

contemplation of nature, as we have taught,

and as we practice, in our quest to penetrate

into the interior of things, to know the

causes and operations of nature . . . just as

the lynx, with its superior vision, not only

sees what lies outside but also notes what

arises from inside.

Stephen Jay Gould teaches biology, geology, and the history of science at Harvard University. He is also the Frederick P. Rose Honorary Curator in Invertebrates at the American Museum of Natural History.