518 IV CO.M'KKKNCK I.MKIi.NAÏKlNALK DK i.KNKTinii:. 



General cundàernlions. — In llu' lasl décade Uie (|uestioii of tlic orif^in of 

 S|)ecics ha.s apj)eared in a ncw lii;i:ld. su il is well llial varions o|)inions slujnld 

 be oxprosscd conccrninj^ il. 



Tlic évidence (lesci-iln'd in llu' lurcii-oinf.;- pa^cs llirows noliyhl on llicaclinil 

 ()iit;iii (>r spccics, lin( iLpoinIs lo llie nielliod of j^frowLli of groups of like ani- 

 mais. Il', willi sonie 'l'axonomisls \ve regard Ihe cliai-aclers wliich are pos- 

 scsscd li\ llir niendjer.s of sucli gronps, as " spécifie "' (])erliaps an arbitrary 

 mal Ici), llicn \vc may say llial llie évidence indicates llie melliod ol' Ihe growUi 

 ol' species : Lui Ihe origin of sj)ecies is another inalter. 



In ordcr lo nnderstand Uie method of Ihc growlh of s|)ecies. il is essenlial 

 l-hal Ihe conception indiealed hy llie word " species "', should Ije made lo agrée 

 more closely willi reaJity. 



In ils siniplesl forni, llie probleiii (jll'ered hy animais lias Iwo paris: 



I" A dcscriplion of llieir slale al Ihe iiiomenl. 



2" A descriplion of llieir pasl hislory. Iliroiigli wliieh Ihey arrived al tlieir 

 presenl slale. 



The firsl pari of llie problem is perliaps Ihe more iniporlanl, since oiir 

 descriptions are more likely lo be accurale, but on Ihe whole il altacts less 

 attention llian Ihe second pari. Tliose who arc engaged npon il hâve in iiiiiid 

 certain conceptions, indiealed by Ihe words species, variely. race, sport. Tliey 

 search among living tliings for appearances whicli will correspond with Ihose 

 conceptions and Ihey are api lo overlook anyUiing whicli does iiol correspond 

 with Ihcm. 



Our eoncepl ions are indispeiisalile, but tliey are iiol a coniiilele sel: iicm 

 ones will come iiilo vogue, so long as Ihe problem is belbre us. The Taxoiio- 

 misl holds Ihat every individual animal belongs lo one species or lo another : 

 Ihal sports occur, but Ihal every sport can be assigned lo a species. Hul froin 

 tliis determiiied point of view, he cannot see ail there is lo be seen. Consider, 

 for (Nainple, Ihe family group of black Gunonnjii al Rangoon, il existed as 

 described, but yel il did nol correspond ^^ilh anyone of Ihe lerms used by 

 Taxonomists. Thirly individnals are nol a species (althoiigh il may be 

 mentioned in iiassing Ihal every dv.indling species mnsl number thirly before 

 il ends Ihe zéro of extinction). Nor is lliis group a variely or a race : Ihc con- 

 ceptions indiealed by thèse tcrms are inadeqiialely defined al presenl. but few 

 ^^ould apply Iheinto a groiip solimited in number. Lastly of course. Ihe group 

 is nol a sport, since Ihe primary allribnle of a sport is singularily or extrême 

 rareiiess, whereas Ihe mcmbers of lliis group v\ere niimerous witliin narrovx 

 liinils. llence tlie group does nol fil any of our conceptions because ils ■ir- 

 cumslances arc loo well known. but if four or five members of it iiad beeii 

 found by a iialuralisl v\lio IkkI no opportiinity of ascerlaining Ihcir circum- 

 slances. Ihey woiild liav(^ lieen regarded as reprcsenlalives of a new species 

 and described as siicli: biil on the other liand if only one of them had been 

 eaplnred, il woiild probably liave been regarded as a sport. Thus Ihe case 

 would liaxi' been made lo fil our Icrminology, bul its realily woiild hâve been 

 overlooked. 



\\'e liierefore reqiiire a new tenu l'or small gninps wliieli are iiunierieally 

 inlermediale betweeii sport and species, for sueh 1 liave employed Ihe terni 

 " family grou|i .,. Maiiy hoid thaï il is impossible for a single sport lo give 

 rise to a siiecies, bul few will deny Ihe possibilily of a sport establishiiig a 



