Comparison with 1872 |
|
of level, and that slight climatal changes would intervene during such lengthy periods; and in these cases the inhabitants of the archipelago would have to
migrate, and no closely consecutive record of their modifications could be preserved in any one formation. |
|
Very many of the marine inhabitants of the archipelago now range thousands of miles beyond its confines; and analogy leads me to
believe
that it would be chiefly these far-ranging species
which
would oftenest produce new varieties; and the varieties would at first
....... 1872 | generally 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
be local or confined to one place, but if possessed of any decided advantage, or when further modified and improved, they would slowly spread and supplant their parent-forms. When such varieties returned to their ancient homes, as they would differ from their former
state state 1872 | state, 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
in a nearly uniform, though perhaps extremely slight degree, they
would, according to the principles followed by many palæontologists, be ranked as new and distinct species. |
|
If then,
there be some degree of truth in these remarks, we have no right to expect to find
in our geological formations, an infinite number of those fine transitional forms,
which
on my
theory
assuredly
have connected all the past and present species of the same group into one long and branching chain of life. We ought only to look for a few links, some more closely,
some more distantly
related
to each other; and these links, let them be ever so close, if found in different stages of the same formation, would, by most
palæonto- logists,
be ranked as distinct species. But I do not pretend that I should ever have suspected how poor a record of the mutations of life,
the best preserved
geological section
presented,
had not the
|
of level, and that slight climatal changes would intervene during such lengthy periods; and in these cases the inhabitants of the archipelago would
....... 1861 1866 1869 1872 | have to 1859 1860 |
migrate, and no closely consecutive record of their modifications could be preserved in any one formation. |
|
Very many of the marine inhabitants of the archipelago now range thousands of miles beyond its confines; and analogy
plainly leads to the plainly leads to the 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
leads me to 1859 1860 |
belief belief 1861 1866 1869 1872 | believe 1859 1860 |
that it would be chiefly these far-ranging
species, species, 1866 1869 1872 | species 1859 1860 1861 |
though only some of them, which though only some of them, which 1866 1869 1872 |
which 1859 1860 1861 |
would oftenest produce new varieties; and the varieties would at first
generally generally 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 | generally 1872 |
be local or confined to one place, but if possessed of any decided advantage, or when further modified and improved, they would slowly spread and supplant their parent-forms. When such varieties returned to their ancient homes, as they would differ from their former
state, state, 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 | state 1872 |
in a nearly uniform, though perhaps extremely slight degree,
and as they would be found embedded in slightly different sub-stages of the same formation, they and as they would be found embedded in slightly different sub-stages of the same formation, they 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
they 1859 1860 |
would, according to the principles followed by many palæontologists, be ranked as new and distinct species. |
|
If
then then 1861 1866 1869 1872 | then, 1859 1860 |
there be some degree of truth in these remarks, we have no right to expect to
find, find, 1866 1869 1872 | find 1859 1860 1861 |
in our geological formations, an infinite number of those fine transitional
forms forms 1861 1866 1869 1872 | forms, 1859 1860 |
which, which, 1861 1866 1869 1872 | which 1859 1860 |
on
our our 1869 1872 | my 1859 1860 1861 1866 |
theory, theory, 1861 1866 1869 1872 | theory 1859 1860 |
....... 1861 1866 1869 1872 | assuredly 1859 1860 |
have connected all the past and present species of the same group into one long and branching chain of life. We ought only to look for a few links,
and such assuredly we do find— and such assuredly we do find— 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
some more closely, 1859 1860 |
some more
distantly, distantly, 1861 1866 1869 1872 | distantly 1859 1860 |
some more closely, related some more closely, related 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
related 1859 1860 |
to each other; and these links, let them be ever so close, if found in different stages of the same formation, would, by
many many 1861 1866 1869 1872 | most 1859 1860 |
palæontologists, palæontologists, 1860 1861 1866 1869 1872 | palæonto- logists, 1859 |
be ranked as distinct species. But I do not pretend that I should ever have suspected how poor
was the record in was the record in 1869 1872 |
a record of the mutations of life, 1859 1860 |
a record of the mutations of life 1861 1866 |
the best
preserved preserved 1859 1860 1866 1869 1872 | pre-served 1861 |
geological
sections, sections, 1869 1872 | section 1859 1860 1861 1866 |
....... 1869 1872 | presented, 1859 1860 1861 | would present, 1866 |
had not the
|