l86l.] CONDITIONS OF LIFE. 369 



the difficulties from the imperfection of the geological 

 record, heavier than some of the younger men. I find, to 

 my astonishment and joy, that such good men as Ramsay, 

 Jukes, Geikie, and one old worker, Lyell, do not think that 

 I have in the least exaggerated the imperfection of the 

 record.* If my views ever are proved true, our current geo- 

 logical views will have to be considerably modified. My 

 greatest trouble is, not being able to weigh the direct effects 

 of the long-continued action of changed conditions of life 

 without any selection, with the action of selection on mere 

 accidental (so to speak) variability. I oscillate much on this 

 head, but generally return to my belief that the direct action 

 of the conditions of life have not been great. At least 

 this direct action can have played an extremely small part 

 in producing all the numberless and beautiful adaptations in 

 every living creature. With respect to a person's belief, what 

 does rather surprise me is that any one (like Carpenter) 

 should be willing to go so very far as to believe that all birds 

 may have descended from one parent, and not go a little 

 farther and include all the members of the same great division ; 

 for on such a scale of belief, all the facts in Morphology and 

 in Embryology (the most important in my opinion of all sub- 

 jects) become mere Divine mockeries I cannot express 



how profoundly glad I am that some day you will publish 

 your theoretical view on the modification and endurance of 



* Professor Sedgwick treated this I will interpolate long periods to 

 part of the ' Origin of Species ' account for all the changes. I say, 

 very differently, as might have in reply, if you deny my conclusion, 

 been expected from his vehement grounded on positive evidence, I 

 objection to Evolution in general. toss back your conclusion, derived 

 In the article in the Spectator of from negative evidence, the in- 

 March 24, i860, already noticed, flated cushion on which you try to 

 Sedgwick wrote : "We know the bolster up the defects of your hypo- 

 complicated organic phenomena of thesis." [The punctuation of the 

 the Mesozoic (or Oolitic) period. imaginary dialogue is slightly al- 

 It defies the transmutationist at tered from the original, which is 

 every step. Oh ! but the docu- obscure in one place.] 

 ment, says Darwin, is a fragment ; 



VOL. II. 2 B 



