Origin of Species Variorum

Comparison with 1861

Why does not every collection of fossil remains afford plain evidence of the gradation and mutation of the forms of life? Although geological research has undoubtedly revealed the former existence of many links, bringing numerous forms of life much closer together, it does not yield the infinitely many fine graduations between past and present species required on my theory; and this is the most obvious and forcible of the many objections which may be urged against it. ↑ Why, again, do whole groups of allied species appear, though certainly they often falsely appear, to have come in suddenly on the several geological stages? Why do we not find great piles of strata beneath the Silurian system, stored with the remains of the progenitors of the Silurian groups of fossils? For certainly on my theory such strata must somewhere have been deposited at these ancient and utterly unknown epochs in the world's history.

I can answer these questions and grave objections only on the supposition that the geological record is far more imperfect than most geologists believe. It cannot be objected that there has not been time sufficient for any amount of organic change; for the lapse of time has been so great as to be utterly inappreciable by the human intellect. The number of specimens in all our museums is absolutely as nothing compared with the countless generations of countless species which certainly have existed. The parent form of any two or more species would not be in all its characters directly intermediate between its modified offspring, any more than the rock-pigeon is directly intermediate in crop and tail between its descendants the pouter and fantail pigeons. We should not be able to recognise a species as the parent of another species if we were to examine them ever so closely, unless we likewise possessed many of the intermediate links between their past and present states; and these many links we could hardly ever

Why does not every collection of fossil remains afford plain evidence of the gradation and mutation of the forms of life? Although geological research has undoubtedly revealed the former existence of many links, bringing numerous forms of life much closer together, it does not yield the infinitely many fine gradations between past and present species required on the theory; and this is the most obvious .. of the many objections which may be urged against it. ↑ Why, again, do whole groups of allied species appear, though this appearance is often false, .. to have come in suddenly on the successive geological stages? Although we now know that organic beings appeared on this globe, at a period incalculably remote, long before the lowest bed of the Cambrian system was deposited, why do we not find beneath this system great piles of strata stored with the remains of the progenitors of the Cambrian fossils? For .. on the theory such strata must somewhere have been deposited at these ancient and utterly unknown epochs in the worlds history.

I can answer these questions and .. objections only on the supposition that the geological record is far more imperfect than most geologists believe. The number of specimens in all our museums is absolutely as nothing compared with the countless generations of countless species which have certainly existed. The parent-form of any two or more species would not be in all its characters directly intermediate between its modified offspring, any more than the rock-pigeon is directly intermediate in crop and tail between its descendants the pouter and fantail pigeons. We should not be able to recognise a species as the parent of another and modified species, if we were to examine both ever so closely, unless we .. possessed most of the intermediate links; and owing to the imperfection of the geological record, we have no just right to