ii] OF EVOLUTION 11 



which are as strikingly limited in their range. Many 

 of the myriad forms of insect-life pass their whole 

 existence, and are dependent for food, on a particular 

 species of plant. Not a few animals and plants are 

 parasitical, and can only live in the interior or on the 

 outside of other plants and animals. 



It will be seen from these considerations that in 

 attempting to decide between the two hypotheses of 

 the origin of species the only ones ever suggested 

 namely the fashioning of them out of dead matter, or 

 their descent with modification from pre-existing 

 forms, we are dealing with a problem of much greater 

 complexity than could possibly have been imagined 

 by the early speculators on the subject. 



The two strongly contrasted hypotheses to which 

 we have referred are often spoken of as ' creation' 

 and ' evolution.' But this is an altogether illegitimate 

 use of these terms. By whatever method species of 

 plants or animals come into existence, they may be 

 rightly said to be * created.' We speak of the 

 existing plants and animals as having been created, 

 although we well know them to have been * evolved ' 

 from seeds, eggs and other ' germs ' and indeed from 

 those minute and seemingly simple structures known 

 as * cells/ Lyell and Darwin, as we shall presently 

 see, though they were firmly convinced that species 

 of plants and animals were slowly developed and not 

 suddenly manufactured, wrote constantly and correctly 

 of the ' creation ' of new forms of life. 



