1 ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES 



memoir on this subject, with a request that I would 

 forward it to Sir Charles Lyell, who sent it to the 

 Linnean Society, and it is published in the third 

 rolume of the Journal of that Society. Sir C. Lyell 

 and Dr. Hooker, who both knew of my work — the 

 latter having read my sketch of 1844 — honoured me 

 by thinking it advisable to publish, with Mr. Wallace's 

 excellent memoir, some brief extracts from my manu- 

 scripts. 



This Abstract, which I now publish, must neces- 

 sarily be imperfect. I cannot here give references and 

 authorities for my several statements ; and I must 

 trust to the reader reposing some confidence in my 

 accuracy. No doubt errors will have crept in, though 

 I hope I have always been cautious in trusting to good 

 authorities alone. I can here give only the general 

 conclusions at which I have arrived, with a few facts in 

 illustration, but which, I hope, in most cases will suffice. 

 No one can feel more sensible than I do of the necessity 

 of hereafter publishing in detail all the facts, with 

 references, on which my conclusions have been grounded; 

 and I hope in a future work to do this. For I am well 

 aware that scarcely a single point is discussed in this 

 volume on which facts cannot be adduced, often 

 apparently leading to conclusions directly opposite to 

 those at which I have arrived. A fair result can be 

 obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts 

 and arguments on both sides of each question ; and 

 this cannot possibly be here done. 



I much regret that want of space prevents my having 

 the satisfaction of acknowledging the generous assist- 

 ance which I have received from very many naturalists, 

 some of them personally unknown to me. I cannot, 

 however, let this opportunity pass without expressing 

 my deep obligations to Dr. Hooker, who for the last 

 fifteen years has aided me in every possible way by his 

 large stores of knowledge and his excellent judgment. 



In considering the Origin of Species, it is quite con- 

 ceivable that a naturalist, reflecting on the mutual 

 affinities of organic beings, on their embryological 



