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Those who have studied history of the world most closely. & know the amount of change now in progress, will be the last to object to the theory on the score of small change — on the contrary islands separated with some animals &c. — If the change could be shown to be more rapid I should say then some link in our train of geological reasoning extremely faulty.

The difficulty of multiplying effects & to produce conceive the results with that clearness of conviction, absolutely necessary as the basal foundation stone of further inductive reasoning is immense.

It is curious that geology by giving proper ideas of these subjects should be absolutely necessary to arrive at right conclusion about species.

Changes of level &c. are easily recorded, but change of species not as — without every animal preserved, the latter pages in the history are perfect,

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we obtain a glimpse only of the changes which the government is subject to. — further back we obtain here & there in order a scattered page, we find quite sensible change in the institutions & we suppose not only revolutions, but certain obliterations & first laws created, & yet with symmetry & regular laws that baffles idea of revolution. —

My very theory requires each form to have lasted for its time: but we ought in same bed if very thick to find some change in upper & lower layers. Look at whole Glacial period — Good objection to my theory: a modern bed at present might be very thick & yet have same fossils, does not Lonsdale¹ know some case of change in entire series

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¹ William Lonsdale.

7e-8e [excised, not found]

9e

Study introduction to Cuviers¹ Regne Animal.

No structure will last without it is adaptation to whole life of animal, & not if it be solely to womb as in monster, or solely to childhood, or solely to manhood. — it will decrease & be driven outwards in the grand crush of population. —

Octob. 10^th . Saw two undoubtedly rabbits in poulterer shops, of same colour as a Hare, but paler & buffer — with long ears & longer hind legs ??? — so that I was almost doubtful which it was. — do hind legs increase in any rabbits

¹ Georges Cuvier, Le règne animal, Paris 1817.

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One may strongly suspect, that breeding in & in, produces bad effects solely, because of similarity, because in every country, where only pair has been introduced, & have freely bred, they have not lost power of producing.

Williams Narrative of Miss. Enterprise¹ p. 497. Vampire bats abound in the Navigators & at Manguia, but are unknown eastward of the Navigators. Snakes occur there, but are unknown in Henry or Society isles.

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¹ John Williams, Missionary enterprises in South Sea Islands, London 1837.

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Hope¹ says positively he has seen a Calosoma (very like American form) in Stones field slate, & a Melolonittha —

In marl from Lake Constance species of Europaean genera =. — Hope has idea about generic character dominant predominant &c. having relation to geographical distribution. — Thus Hattica is such genus. — because found in all quarters: his ideas not clear. In Australia some approach to Asiatic in part near Timor, & to European in Van Diemens land where there is close species of elater — Where this collection is particularly rich as in Lucanidae less difficulty in establishing good groups. —

¹ Frederick William Hope, personal communication.

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ears varying so much. — kind of fur (do tips of ears take any colour?) — length of tail varies & character of fur — I am sure a very good case might be made out of variation analogous to specific variations. —

Kerrs¹ Collect of Voyages Vol. 8 p. 46 Capt. Davis in 1598 found cattle in Table Bay with Hump on their back & big-tailed sheep.

do. Vol. 10. p. 373 & 374 Spaniards say no Tortoises in the place besides Galapagos²

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¹ Robert Kerr, A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels … London, 1811-1824; vol. 8, p. 46: "Their cattle are large, and have a great lump of flesh on the shoulder, like the back of a camel. Their sheep have prodigiously large tails, entirely composed of fat, weighing twelve or fourteen pounds, but are covered with hair instead of wool".

² ibid., vol. 10, p. 373: "The Spaniards say there are no others in these seas, except at the Galapagos, but they are common in Brazil".