Xo. 1.] THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. 17 



led its author to a view which he alludes to throughout his work, 

 but presents in detail in the chapter entitled " Specific Genesis." 



''Accordino- to this view, an internal law presides over the 

 actions of every part of every individual, and of every organism 

 as a unit, and of the entire oriranic world as a whole. It is 

 believed that this conception of an internal innate force will ever 

 remain necessary, however much its subordinate processes and 

 actions may become explicable. That by such a force, from time 

 to time, new species are manifested by ordinary generation, these 

 new forms not bein->; monstrosities, but consistent wholes. That 

 these 'jumps' are considerable in comparison with the minute 

 variations of ' natural selection' — are, in fact, sensible steps, such 

 as discriminate species from species. That the latent tendency 

 which exists to these sudden evolutions is determined to action 

 by the stimulus of external condition." 



The part assigned to natural selection is stated as follows : 



" It rigorously destroys monstrosities, favours and develops 

 useful variations, and removes the antecedent species rapidly 

 when the new one evolved is more in harmony with surrounding 

 conditions." 



Professor Mivart has so frankly admitted the essential coin- 

 cidence of the above view with the one expressed by Professor 

 Owen in 1868,* that we do not hesitate to call his attention to 

 the similar views previously advanced by Professor Parsons, of 

 Harvard University, and by the anonymous author of "Vestiges 

 of Creation;" believing that his own conclusions were reached in 

 entire independence of all of them, as is said of Professor Owen's. 

 The author of the " Vestiges " expresses himself as follows : f 



" My idea is, that the simplest and most primitive type, under 

 a law to which that of like-production is subordinate, gave birth 

 to the type next above it, that this again produced the next 

 higher, and so on to the very highest, the stages of advance being 

 in all cases veiy small, namely, from one species only to another. 



Yet in another point of view, the phenomena are 



wonders of the highest kind, in so far as they are direct effects of 

 an Almighty will, which had provided beforehand that everything 

 should be very good." 



• " Comp. Anat. and Phys. of Vertebrates," vol. iii. p. 808. 



t " Vestiffes of the Natural History of Creation," tliird edition, p. 

 170. 



Vol. XI. B No. 1, 



