THE QUARTERLY 
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 
JULY, 1868. 
I. DARWIN AND PANGENESIS. 
Ir is nearly ten years since the most important work on biological 
science which has ever been published, namely, the ‘ Origin of 
Species,’ issued from the press; and during the long interval, 
interrupted, we regret to say, by bodily illness, the well-known 
author of that work has been accumulating further evidence in 
favour of his theory, which he now gives to the world. So far, his 
detailed information relates almost entirely to animals and plants 
under domestication ;* and although the work in which it is con- 
tained forms a continuation of the argument in favour of the 
derivative origin of species, it does not conclude the consideration 
of the subject ; and we are promised, first, 2 work upon the varia- 
bility of organic beings in a state of nature; secondly, one upon 
the difficulties opposed to the theory of natural selection; and, 
finally, one in which it is apparently intended by the author to 
give a résumé of the whole subject, and wherein he will “try the 
principle of natural selection, by seeing how far it will give 
a fair explanation of the several classes of facts alluded to.” t 
We confess that these announcements have taken us a little by 
surprise; for seeing that the esteemed author of these works, 
extant and promised, is already about sixty years of age, and that 
ten years have elapsed between the appearance of his introductory 
treatise and the one now before us, which is by no means the most 
important of the series, he must have sufficient faith in his own 
theory of the “ survival of the fittest” to anticipate the extension of 
his brilliant career to at least the age of ninety. All we can say is, 
that we hope his expectations may be realized, and that the accu- 
mulation of knowledge and thought in the meantime may enable 
* «The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication.’ By Charies 
Darwin, M.A., F.R.S., &. In two vols., with illustrations. Murray, 1868. 
7 Ibid., vol. 1., p. 9: 
VOL. V. Y 
