20 



SPREAD OF EVOLUTION. 



[1863, 



to say, under the cloak of attacking Heterogeny, a word in 

 my own defence. My letter is to appear next week, so the 

 Editor says ; and I mean to quote Lyell's sentence * in his 

 second edition, on the principle if one puffs oneself, one had 

 better puff handsomely. . . . 



C. Darwin to C. LyelL 



Down, April 18 [1863]. 

 My DEAR LYELL, — I was really quite sorry that you had 

 sent me a second copy \ of your valuable book. But after a 

 few hours my sorrow vanished for this reason : I have written 

 a letter to the Athencsum/m. order, under the cloak of attack- 

 ing the monstrous article on Heterogeny, to say a word for 

 myself in answer to Carpenter, and now I have inserted a 

 few sentences in allusion to your analogous objection % about 



general geological succession, and 

 the close relationship of the fossils 

 in closely consecutive formations 

 and within the same country ; ex- 

 tinct marsupials having preceded 

 living marsupials in Australia, and 

 armadillo-like animals having pre- 

 ceded and generated armadilloes 

 in South America, — and many other 

 phenomena, such as the gradual 

 extinction of old forms and their 

 gradual replacement by new forms 

 better fitted for their new condi- 

 tions in the struggle for life. When 

 the advocate of Heterogeny can 

 thus connect large classes of facts, 

 and not until then, he will have 

 respectful and patient listeners." 



* See the next letter. 



f The second edit, of the ' Anti- 

 quity of Man ' was published a few 

 months after the first had appeared. 



% Lyell objected that the mam- 

 malia (e.g. bats and seals) which 

 alone have been able to reach 



oceanic islands ought to have be- 

 come modified into various terres- 

 trial forms fitted to fill various 

 places in their new homes. My 

 father pointed out in the Athenceum 

 that Sir Charles has in some mea- 

 sure answered his own objection, 

 and went on to quote the " amend- 

 ed sentence " (' Antiquity of Man,' 

 2nd edit. p. 469) as showing how 

 far Lyell agreed with the general 

 doctrines of the ' Origin of Species ' : 

 " Yet we ought by no means to 

 undervalue the importance of the 

 step which will have been made, 

 should it hereafter become the 

 generally received opinion of men 

 of science (as I fully expect it will) 

 that the past changes of the or- 

 ganic world have been brought 

 about by the subordinate agency 

 of such causes as Variation and 

 Natural Selection." In the first 

 edition the words " as I fully expect 

 it will," do not occur. 



