It has been asserted over and over again, by writers who believe in the immutability of species, that geology
....... 1866 1869 1872 | has 1861 |
yields yields 1866 1869 1872 | yielded 1861 |
no linking forms. This
assertion assertion 1861 1866 1869 | assertion, 1872 |
is entirely is entirely 1861 1866 1869 |
as we shall see in the next chapter, is certainly 1872 |
erroneous. As
Sir J. Sir J. 1866 1869 1872 | Mr. 1861 |
Lubbock has
....... 1866 1869 1872 | recently 1861 |
remarked,
"Every "Every 1866 1869 1872 | "Every 1861 |
species is a link between other allied
forms." We clearly see this if forms." We clearly see this if 1866 1869 |
forms." We clearly see this if 1861 |
forms." If 1872 |
we take a genus having a score of
recent and extinct species recent and extinct species 1861 1866 1869 |
species, recent and extinct, 1872 |
and destroy four-fifths of
them; them; 1861 1866 1869 | them, 1872 |
for in this case for in this case 1861 1866 1869 |
OMIT 1872 |
no one
....... 1866 1869 1872 | will 1861 |
doubts doubts 1866 1869 1872 | doubt 1861 |
that the remainder will stand much more distinct from each other. If the extreme forms in the genus happen to have been thus destroyed, the genus itself
in most cases in most cases 1861 1866 1869 |
OMIT 1872 |
will stand more distinct from other allied genera. The camel and the pig, or the horse and the tapir, are now obviously very distinct forms; but if we add the several fossil quadrupeds which have already been discovered to the families including the camel and pig, these forms become joined by links not extremely wide apart. The chain of linking forms does not, however, in these cases, or in any case, run straight from the one living form to the other, but takes a circuitous sweep through the forms which lived during
long-past long-past 1866 1869 | long past 1861 |
ages. What geological research has not
revealed revealed 1861 1866 | revealed, 1869 1872 |
is the former existence of infinitely numerous gradations, as fine as existing varieties, connecting
all known all known 1861 1866 |
nearly all our existing species with extinct 1869 |
together nearly all existing and extinct 1872 |
species.
And And 1861 1866 | But 1869 1872 |
this
not having been effected by geology is the most obvious of the many objections which may be urged not having been effected by geology is the most obvious of the many objections which may be urged 1861 1866 |
ought not to be expected; yet this has been repeatedly advanced as a most serious objection 1869 1872 |
against my views. ↑1 blocks not present in 1861 1866 1869 1872; present in 1859 1860 | Geological research, though it has added numerous species to existing and extinct genera, and has made the intervals between some few groups less wide than they otherwise would have been, yet has done scarcely anything in breaking down the distinction between species, by connecting them together by numerous, fine, intermediate varieties; and this not having been effected, is probably the gravest and most obvious of all the many objections which may be urged against my views.
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