| Comparison with 1860 |
|
|
CHAPTER IX.
|
| ON THE IMPERFECTION OF THE GEOLOGICAL RECORD. |
| On the absence of intermediate varieties at the present day— On the nature of extinct intermediate varieties; on their number— On the vast
lapse of time, as inferred from the rate of deposition
and of denudation—
On the poorness
of our palæontological collections—
On the intermittence
of geological formations—
On the absence
of intermediate varieties in any one formation—
On the sudden appearance of groups of species— On their
sudden appearance in
the lowest known fossiliferous strata.
|
| IN the sixth chapter I enumerated the chief objections which might be justly urged against the views maintained in this volume. Most of them have now been discussed. One, namely the distinctness of specific forms, and their not being blended together by innumerable transitional links, is a very obvious difficulty. I assigned reasons why such links do not commonly occur at the present day,
under the circumstances apparently most favourable for their presence, namely on an extensive and continuous area with graduated physical conditions. I endeavoured to show, that the life of each species depends in a more important manner on the presence of other already defined organic forms, than on climate; and, therefore, that the really governing conditions of life do not graduate away quite insensibly like heat or moisture. I endeavoured, also, to show that intermediate varieties, from existing in lesser numbers than the forms which they connect, will generally be beaten out and exterminated during the course of further modification and improvement. The main cause, however, of innumerable intermediate links not now occurring everywhere throughout nature
de-
|
CHAPTER
IX. | IX. 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 | | X. 1872 |
|
| ON THE IMPERFECTION OF THE GEOLOGICAL RECORD. |
On the absence of intermediate varieties at the present day— On the nature of extinct intermediate varieties; on their number— On the
vast | vast 1859 1860 1861 | | vase 1866 | vast 1869 1872 |
| deposition 1859 1860 1861 1866 | | denudation 1869 1872 |
| denudation— 1859 1860 1861 1866 | | deposition— 1869 | | deposition — 1872 |
| poorness 1859 1860 1861 1866 | | lapse 1869 1872 |
| our palæontological collections— 1859 1860 1866 |
| our palæntological collections— 1861 |
| time as estimated by years— 1869 1872 |
| intermittence 1859 1860 | | denudation 1861 1866 | | poorness 1869 1872 |
| geological formations— 1859 1860 |
| granitic areas— 1861 1866 |
| our palæontological collections— 1869 1872 |
| absence 1859 1860 | | intermittence 1861 1866 1872 | | denudation 1869 |
| intermediate varieties in any one formation— 1859 1860 |
| geological formations— 1861 1866 1872 |
| granitic areas— 1869 |
| sudden appearance of groups of species— On their 1859 1860 |
| absence of intermediate varieties in any one formation— On the 1861 1866 |
| intermittence of geological formations— On the absence of intermediate varieties in any one formation— On the 1869 |
| denudation of granitic areas— On the absence of intermediate varieties in any one formation— On the 1872 |
| in 1859 1860 |
| of groups of species— On their sudden appearance in 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
| strata. 1859 1860 1861 1866 |
| strata— Antiquity of the habitable earth. 1869 1872 |
|
IN the sixth chapter I enumerated the chief objections which might be justly urged against the views maintained in this volume. Most of them have now been discussed. One, namely the distinctness of specific forms, and their not being blended together by innumerable transitional links, is a very obvious difficulty. I assigned reasons why such links do not commonly occur at the present
day, | day, 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 | | day 1872 |
| nature 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 | | nature, 1872 |
| de- 1859 1860 | de- 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
|
