HISTORY OF ZOOLOGY. 2g 



not persuaded to give them publicity. Not until 1858 did 

 Darwin decide to make his first contribution to science, in 

 the Journal of the Linnean Society, being influenced by a 

 special motive. In this year he received an essay sent by 

 the traveller Wallace, which in its most important points 

 coincided with Darwin's own views. Contemporaneously 

 with Wallace's manuscript an abstract of Darwin's theory 

 came into print. In the year after that (1859) appeared 

 the most important of his writings, " On the Origin of 

 Species by means of Natural Selection," and in rapid suc- 

 cession a complete series of works, the fruit of many years 

 of preparatory labors. For the history of the Descent 

 theory the most important of this series are : (i) " Upon the 

 Variation of Plants and Animals under Domestication," 

 two volumes, which chiefly contain a collection of em- 

 piric material for proofs; (2) on "The Descent of Man," 

 a work which gives the application to man of the theory 

 of descent. 



No scientific work of this century has attracted so much 

 attention in the zoological, we may even say in the whole 

 educated world, as Darwin's book upon "The Origin of 

 Species." It was generally received as something entirely 

 new, so completely had the scientific tradition been lost. 

 In professional circles it was by one faction stoutly com- 

 bated, with another it found well-wishing, but hesitating 

 acceptance. Only a few men placed themselves in a de- 

 cided manner from the beg-inninsr on the side of the great 



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British investigator. There was kindled a lively scientific 

 battle, which ended in a brilliant victory for the Descent 

 Theory. At the present time all our scientific thoughts 

 are so permeated with the idea of the Descent theory that 

 we can scarcely speak of any considerable opposition to it. 

 Post-Darwinian Writers. Among the men who have 

 most influenced this rapid advance is to be mentioned, be- 

 sides A. R. Wallace, the co-founder of Darwinism, above 

 all E. Haeckel, who in his " General Morphology" and 

 his "Natural History of Creation" has done much 

 towards the methodical building up of the theory. Among 



