PREFACE 



There are many books about Evolution so perhaps in this preface 

 I should state what this book is not about. It is not concerned with 

 the mechanism of speciation, the evolution of dominance, the 

 relationship of enzymatic adaptation to the inheritance of acquired 

 characteristics or the probability that Natural Selection can bring 

 about a pandemic of rodents in n + 1 years. Instead the present 

 book is concerned with an examination of certain basic assumptions 

 and implications that have become involved in the present-day 

 concept of the evolutionary relationships within the animal 

 kingdom. The majority of books on Evolution either blatantly 

 treat these assumptions as part of an old (and concluded) historic 

 argument or else they avoid discussing the assumptions and 

 instead deal with the more scientific and mathematical parts of 

 Evolution. 



If one tries to question this avoiding reaction, the protagonists 

 round on one and say in an accusing tone of voice, " Don't you 

 believe in the Theory of Organic Evolution? What better theory 

 have you got to offer? " 



May I here humbly state as part of my biological credo that I 

 believe that the theory of Evolution as presented by orthodox 

 evolutionists is in many ways a satisfying explanation of some of 

 the evidence. At the same time I think that the attempt to explain 

 all living forms in terms of an evolution from a unique source, 

 though a brave and valid attempt, is one that is premature and 

 not satisfactorily supported by present-day evidence. It may in 

 fact be shown ultimately to be the correct explanation, but the 

 supporting evidence remains to be discovered. We can, if we like, 

 believe that such an evolutionary system has taken place, but I 

 for one do not think that " it has been proven beyond all reason- 

 able doubt." In the pages of the book that follow I shall present 

 evidence for the point of view that there are many discrete groups 



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