Comparison with 1859 |
|
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,
they they 1859 1860 |
and as they would be found embedded in slightly different sub-stages of the same formation, they 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
would, according to the principles followed by many palæontologists, be ranked as new and distinct species. |
|
If
then, then, 1859 1860 | then 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
there be some degree of truth in these remarks, we have no right to expect to
find find 1859 1860 1861 | find, 1866 1869 1872 |
in our geological formations, an infinite number of those fine transitional
forms, forms, 1859 1860 | forms 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
which which 1859 1860 | which, 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
on
my my 1859 1860 1861 1866 | our 1869 1872 |
theory theory 1859 1860 | theory, 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
assuredly assuredly 1859 1860 | assuredly 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
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 closely, 1859 1860 |
and such assuredly we do find— 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
some more
distantly distantly 1859 1860 | distantly, 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
related related 1859 1860 |
some more closely, related 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
to each other; and these links, let them be ever so close, if found in different stages of the same formation, would, by
most most 1859 1860 | many 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
palæonto- logists, palæonto- logists, 1859 | palæontologists, 1860 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
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, a record of the mutations of life, 1859 1860 |
a record of the mutations of life 1861 1866 |
was the record in 1869 1872 |
the best preserved
geological
section section 1859 1860 1861 1866 | sections, 1869 1872 |
presented, presented, 1859 1860 1861 | would present, 1866 | presented, 1869 1872 |
had not the
difficulty difficulty 1859 1860 1861 1866 | absence 1869 1872 |
of
our not discovering our not discovering 1859 1860 1861 1866 |
OMIT 1869 1872 |
innumerable transitional links between the species which
appeared appeared 1859 1860 1861 1866 | lived 1869 1872 |
at the commencement and close of each formation, pressed so hardly on my theory. |
On
On
1859 1860 1861 |
On
1866 1869 1872 |
the
the
1859 1860 1861 |
the
1866 1869 1872 |
sudden
sudden
1859 1860 1861 |
sudden
1866 1869 1872 |
appearance
appearance
1859 1860 1861 |
Appearance
1866 1869 1872 |
of
of
1859 1860 1861 |
of
1866 1869 1872 |
whole
whole
1859 1860 1861 |
whole
1866 1869 1872 |
groups
groups
1859 1860 1861 |
Groups
1866 1869 1872 |
of
of
1859 1860 1861 |
of
1866 1869 1872 |
Allied
Allied
1859 1860 |
allied
1861 |
allied
1866 1869 1872 |
Species
.—
Species
.—
1859 1860 1861 |
Species
. 1866 1869 1872 |
|
The abrupt manner in which whole groups of species suddenly appear in certain formations, has been urged by several
palæontologists, palæontologists, 1859 | palæontologists— 1860 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
for instance, by Agassiz, Pictet, and
by none more forcibly than by Professor Sedgwick, by none more forcibly than by Professor Sedgwick, 1859 |
by none more forcibly than by Professor Sedgwick— 1860 |
Sedgwick— 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
as a fatal objection to the belief in the transmutation of species. If numerous species, belonging to the same genera or families, have really started into life
all all 1859 1860 | all 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
at once, the fact would be fatal to the theory of
descent with slow modification descent with slow modification 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
evolution 1872 |
through natural selection. For the development
of of 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
by this means of 1872 |
a group of forms, all of which
have have 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 | are 1872 |
descended from some one progenitor, must have been an extremely slow process; and the progenitors
must have lived long
ages ages 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 | ages 1872 |
before their modified descendants. But we continually
over-rate over-rate 1859 1860 1861 | overrate 1866 1869 1872 |
the perfection of the geological record, and falsely infer, because certain genera or families have not been found beneath a certain stage, that they did not exist before that stage. ↑1 blocks not present in 1859 1860; present in 1861 1866 1869 1872 | In all cases positive palæontological evidence may be implicitly trusted; negative evidence is worthless, as experience has so often shown.
|
We continually forget how large the world is, compared with the area over which our geological formations have been carefully examined; we forget that groups of species may elsewhere have long
existed existed 1859 1860 | existed, 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
and have slowly
multiplied multiplied 1859 1860 | multiplied, 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
before they invaded the ancient archipelagoes of Europe and
of of 1859 1860 | of 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
the United States. We do not make due allowance for the
enormous enormous 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 | enormous 1872 |
intervals of
time, time, 1859 1860 | time 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
which have
probably probably 1859 1860 | probably 1861 1866 1869 1872 |
elapsed between our
|