CREATION BY LAW. 269 



a negative, if we show that there are both facts and 

 analogies in our favour. 



Mr. Darwin's Metaphors liable to Misconception. 



Mr. Darwin has laid himself open to much miscon- 

 ception, and has given to his opponents a powerful 

 weapon against himself, by his continual use of meta- 

 phor in describing the wonderful co-adaptations of 

 organic beings. 



" It is curious," says the Duke of Argyll, " to ob- 

 serve the language which this most advanced disciple 

 of pure naturalism instinctively uses, when he has to 

 describe the complicated structure of this curious 

 order of plants (the Orchids). f Caution in ascribing 

 intentions to nature,' does not seem to occur to him as 

 possible. Intention is the one thing which he does see, 

 and which, when he does not see, he seeks for diligently 

 until he finds it. He exhausts every form of words and 

 of illustration, by which intention or mental purpose 

 can be described. ' Contrivance ' c curious contriv- 

 ance,' i beautiful contrivance,' these are expressions 

 which occur over and over again. Here is one sen- 

 tence describing the parts of a particular species : ' the 

 Labellum is developed into a long nectary, in order to 

 attract Lepidoptera, and we shall presently give reason 

 for suspecting that the nectar is purposely so lodged, 

 that it can be sucked only slowly in order to give time 

 for the curious chemical quality of the viscid matter 

 setting hard and dry.' ' Many other examples of 

 similar expressions are quoted by the Duke, who 



