Pre-Darwinian Theories of Evolution 11 



in this view, for even if environmentally induced "modifications" 

 be not transmissible, environmentally induced "variations" are ; and 

 even if the direct influence of the environment be less important 

 than many enthusiastic supporters of this view may we call them 

 Buffonians think, there remains the indirect influence which 

 Darwinians in part rely on, the eliminative process. Even if the 

 extreme view be held that the only form of discriminate elimination 

 that counts is inter-organisnial competition, this might be included 

 under the rubric of the animate environment. 



In many passages Buffon 1 definitely suggested that environ- 

 mental influences especially of climate and food were directly 

 productive of changes in organisms, but he did not discuss the 

 question of the transmissibility of the modifications so induced, and 

 it is difficult to gather from his inconsistent writings what extent 

 of transformation he really believed in. Prof. Osborn says of Buffon : 

 "The struggle for existence, the elimination of the least-perfected 

 species, the contest between the fecundity of certain species and their 

 constant destruction, are all clearly expressed in various passages." 

 He quotes two of these 2 : 



" Le cours ordinaire de la nature vivante, est en ge'ne'ral toujours 

 constant, toujours le meme ; son mouvement, toujours re"gulier, roule 

 sur deux points in^branlables : 1'un, la fe"condite sans bornes donne"e 

 a toutes les especes ; 1'autre, les obstacles sans nombre qui re"duisent 

 cette fe"condit & une mesure d^termin^e et ne laissent en tout temps 

 qu'k peu pres la meme quantite d'individus de chaque espece"..."Les 

 especes les moins parfaites, les plus dedicates, les plus pesantes, les 

 moins agissantes, les moins armies, etc., ont deja disparu ou dis- 

 paraitront." 



Erasmus Darwin 3 had a firm grip of the " idea of the gradual 

 formation and improvement of the Animal world," and he had 

 his theory of the process. No sentence is more characteristic 

 than this : "All animals undergo transformations which are in part 

 produced by their own exertions, in response to pleasures and pains, 

 and many of these acquired forms or propensities are transmitted 

 to their posterity." This is Lamarckism before Lamarck, as his 

 grandson pointed out. His central idea is that wants stimulate 

 efforts and that these result in improvements, which subsequent 

 generations make better still. He realised something of the struggle 

 for existence and even pointed out that this advantageously checks 

 the rapid multiplication. "As Dr Krause points out, Darwin just 



1 See in particular Samuel Butler, Evolution Old and New, London, 1879; J. L. de 

 Lanessan, "Buffon et Darwin," Revue Scientifique, XLIII. pp. 385391, 425432, 1889. 



2 op. cit. p. 136. 



3 See Ernst Krausc and Charles Darwin, Erasmus Darwin, London, 1879. 



