434 ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES 



that we give an explanation when we only restate a fact 

 Any one whose disposition leads him to attach more 

 weight to unexplained difficulties than to the explana- 

 tion of a certain number of facts will certainly reject 

 my theory. A few naturalists, endowed with much 

 flexibility of mind, and who have already begun to 

 doubt on the immutability of species, may be influenced 

 by this volume ; but I look with confidence to the future, 

 to young and rising naturalists, who will be able to 

 view both sides of the question with impartiality. Who- 

 ever is led to believe that species are mutable will do 

 good service by conscientiously expressing his convic- 

 tion ; for only thus can the load of prejudice by which 

 this subject is overwhelmed be removed. 



Several eminent naturalists have of late published 

 their belief that a multitude of reputed species in each 

 genus are not real species ; but that other species are 

 real, that is, have been independently created. This 

 seems to me a strange conclusion to arrive at. They 

 admit that a multitude of forms, which till lately 

 they themselves thought were special creations, and 

 which are still thus looked at by the majority of natu- 

 ralists, and which consequently have every external 

 characteristic feature of true species, — they admit that 

 these have been produced by variation, but they refuse 

 to extend the same view to other and very slightly 

 different forms. Nevertheless they do not pretend that 

 they can define, or even conjecture, which are the 

 created forms of life, and which are those produced by 

 secondary laws. They admit variation as a vera causa 

 in one case, they arbitrarily reject it in another, without 

 assigning any distinction in the two cases. The day will 

 come when this will be given as a curious illustration of 

 the blindness of preconceived opinion. These authors 

 seem no more startled at a miraculous act of creation 

 than at an ordinary birth. But do they really believe 

 that at innumerable periods in the earth's history 

 certain elemental atoms have been commanded sud- 

 denly to flash into living tissues ? Do they believe that 

 at each supposed act of creation one individual or many 



