42 General and Special Apophthegms. 



moral elements are of more value than the phenomena of 

 language. 



XXI. Facts requiring appreciation as influences, like those 

 requiring appreciation as signs^ are moral as well as physical. 

 Have moral or physical causes most to do with premature 

 nubility* and the want of variety in the expression of indivi- 

 dual countenances \ 



XXII. Unity of the Human Species. A protoplast is an 

 organised individual, capable (either singly or as one of a 

 pair) of propagating individuals ; itself having been propa- 

 gated by no such previous individual or pair. 



XXIII. The definition of the term species by means of 

 the idea of descent from a single protoplast, has the advan- 

 tage of being permanent and immutable ; inasmuch as it is 

 based upon a ground that no subsequent change can set 

 aside. 



non tamen irritum 



DiflSnget, infectumque reddet 

 Quod fugiens semel hora vexit." 



On the other hand the proof of the original descent is an 

 inference rather than a fact either ascertained or capable of 

 being so. 



XXIV. The definition of the term species upon the grounds 

 of constancy of characters, has the advantage of being 

 founded upon a fact capable of being ascertained. On the 

 other hand, the induction which proves it may disprove it 

 also. The same applies to those definitions of the term 

 wherein the phenomena of hybridism play a part. 



XXV. The balance of inconveniences is. in the mind of 

 the present writer, in favour of the idea of descent determin- 

 ing the meaning of the word species, for human natural his- 

 tory at least. 



XXVI. Hence, a species is a class of individuals, each of 

 which is hypothetically considered to be the descendant of 

 the same protoplast, or of the same pair of protoplasts. 



* Plus ad catamenia praecipitanda, et ad nubilitatem iramaturam inducendam 

 vitiosam societatis compagemquara aut ccelum aut terra, conferre, libellis de 

 Oatameniis Afrarum, vicit, vir sagax, Robertonus Macuniensis. 



