Page 220 - The Error of the Evolution of Species

The Error of the Evolution
of Species

evolutionist, and set out with the aim of finding evidence to

support the theory.
Professor Kettlewell performed his first experiment in an
aviary. He observed that peppered moths he released into
the aviary first alighted, and were then hunted by the birds.
This way, he determined that the birds caught and ate
moths when they were at rest. 268
In his second experiment, he marked dark and light col-

ored moths and released them during the daytime in a
forested area affected by air pollution. He determined that
the moths settled on tree trunks and that birds could more
easily catch the more visible moths. That night, he released
a number of moths he had captured in a trap; of 447 melan-
ics released, he recaptured 123; while of 137 released typi-
cals, he recaptured only 18. Statistically, he recaptured
27.5% of the melanics, but only 13% of the typicals.
Kettlewell concluded that "birds act as selective agents, as

postulated by evolutionary theory." 269
He also performed the same experiment in a forest un-
affected by air pollution. He was accompanied by Niko
Tinbergen, known for his work in the field of animal be-
havior, and together they filmed the birds hunting moths in
the trees. This time, the dark- colored melanic moths were
more easily visible on trees covered in light lichens. He en-

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