1859.] H - c - WATSON. 227 



own mind, attributable to yet incomplete perception of your 

 views. And I had better not trouble you about them before 

 again reading the volume. 



3rd. Now these novel views are brought fairly before the 

 scientific public, it seems truly remarkable how so many of 

 them could have failed to see their right road sooner. How 

 could Sir C. Lyell, for instance, for thirty years read, write, 

 and think, on the subject of species and their succession, and 

 yet constantly look down the wrong road ! 



A quarter of a century ago, you and I must have been in 

 something like the same state of mind on the main question. 

 But you were able to see and work out the quo modo of the 

 succession, the all-important thing, while I failed to grasp it. 

 I send by this post a little controversial pamphlet of old 

 date Combe and Scott. If you will take the trouble to 

 glance at the passages scored on the margin, you will see 

 that, a quarter of a century ago, I was also one of the few who 

 then doubted the absolute distinctness of species, and special 

 creations of them. Yet I, like the rest, failed to detect the 

 quo modo which was reserved for your penetration to discover, 

 and your discernment to apply. 



You answered my query about the hiatus between Satyrus 

 and Homo as was expected. The obvious explanation really 

 never occurred to me till some months after I had read the 

 papers in the 'Linnean Proceedings.' The first species of 

 Fere-homo * would soon make direct and exterminating war 

 upon his Infra-homo cousins. The gap would thus be made, 

 and then go on increasing, into the present enormous and 

 still widening hiatus. But how greatly this, with your 

 chronology of animal life, will shock the ideas of many 

 men ! 



Very sincerely, 



Hewett C. Watson. 



* " Almost-man." 



Q 2 



