ILLUSTRATIVE OF NATURAL SELECTION. }<Jj 



side, and the various islands of the Moluccas on the 

 other, were equally well explored by me ; and no less 

 than twelve of the genera are not found in any other 

 island of the archipelago. I have shown in the present 

 essay that, in the Papilionidre, it has far more species of 

 its own than any other island, and a greater proportion 

 of peculiar species than many of the large groups of 

 islands in the archipelago and that it gives to a large 

 number of the species and varieties which inhabit it, 

 1st, an increase of size, and, 2nd, a peculiar modifica- 

 tion in the form of the wings, which stamp upon the 

 most dissimilar insects a mark distinctive of their 

 common birth-place. 



What, I would ask, are we to do with phenomena 

 such as these? Are we to rest content with that very 

 simple, but at the same time very unsatisfying expla- 

 nation, that all these insects and other animals were 

 created exactly as they are, and originally placed ex- 

 actly where they are, by the inscrutable will of their 

 Creator, and that we have nothing to do but to register 

 the facts and wonder ? Was this single island selected 

 for a fantastic display of creative power, merely to ex- 

 cite a childlike and unreasoning admiration ? Is all 

 this appearance of gradual modification by the action of 

 natural causes a modification the successive steps of 

 which we can almost trace all delusive ? Is this har- 

 mony between the most diverse groups, all presenting 

 analogous phenomena, and indicating a dependence 

 upon physical changes of which we have independent 

 evidence, all false testimony ? If I could think so, the 



