It should not be forgotten, that at the present day, with perfect specimens for examination, two forms can seldom be connected by intermediate
varieties varieties 1859 1860 | varieties, 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
and thus proved to be the same species, until many specimens have been
collected from many places; and in the case of
fossil species this could
rarely be effected by palæontologists. We shall, perhaps, best perceive the improbability of our being enabled to connect species by
numerous, numerous, 1859 1860 1872 | numerous 1861 1866 1869 |
fine,
intermediate, intermediate, 1859 1860 1872 | intermediate 1861 1866 1869 |
fossil links, by asking
CHAP. IX. GEOLOGICAL RECORD. CHAP. IX. GEOLOGICAL RECORD. 1859 |
OMIT 1860 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
ourselves ourselves 1859 1860 1869 1872 | our-selves 1861 1866 |
whether, for instance, geologists at some future period will be able to
prove, prove, 1859 1860 | prove 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
that our different breeds of cattle, sheep, horses, and dogs have
descended from a single stock or from several aboriginal stocks; or, again, whether certain sea-shells inhabiting the shores of North America, which are ranked by some conchologists as distinct species from their European representatives, and by other conchologists as
only only 1859 1860 1861 1869 1872 |
distinct species from their European representatives, and by other conchologists as only 1866 |
varieties, are really
varieties varieties 1859 1860 | varieties, 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
or are, as it is called, specifically distinct. This could be effected only by the future geologist
discovering in a fossil state numerous intermediate
gradations; gradations; 1859 1860 1861 1869 1872 | gra- dations; 1866 |
|