I 
WHAT ARE SPECIES 
3 
species of the genus Viola. But, as these also each produce 
their like and do not intermingle, it was believed that every 
one of them had always been as distinct from all the others as 
it is now, that all the individuals of each kind had descended 
from one ancestor, but that the “ origin ” of these hundred 
slightly differing ancestors was unknown. In the words of 
Sir John Ilerschel, cpioted by Mr. Darwin, the origin of 
such species was “the mystery of mysteries.” 
The Early Transmutationists. 
A few great naturalists, struck by the very slight difference 
between many of these species, and the numerous links that 
exist between the most different forms of animals and plants, 
and also observing that a great many species do vary con¬ 
siderably in their forms, colours, and habits, conceived the idea 
that they might be all produced one from the other. The 
most eminent of these writers was a great French naturalist, 
Lamarck, who published an elaborate work, the Philosophic 
Zoologique , in which he endeavoured to prove that all ani¬ 
mals whatever are descended from other species of animals. 
He attributed the change of species chiefly to the effect of 
changes in the conditions of life—such as climate, food, etc.— 
and especially to the desires and efforts of the animals them¬ 
selves to improve their condition, leading to a modification of 
form or size in certain parts, owing to the well-known physio¬ 
logical law that all organs are strengthened by constant use, 
while they are weakened or even completely lost by disuse. 
The arguments of Lamarck did not, however, satisfy naturalists, 
and though a few adopted the view that closely allied species 
had descended from each other, the general belief of the 
educated public was, that each species was a “ special creation ” 
quite independent of all others; while the great body of 
naturalists equally held, that the change from one species 
to another by any known law or cause was impossible, 
and that the “ origin of species ” was an unsolved and 
probably insoluble problem. The only other important work 
dealing with the question was the celebrated Vestiges of 
Creation , published anonymously, but now acknowledged to 
have been written by the late Kobert Chambers. In this 
work the action of general laws was traced throughout the 
