anything but absolute ignorance of some of the 
best established facts, that we should have passed _ 
it over in silence had at not appeared to ation’ 
106 CRITICISMS ON “THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES” qr 
~ 
; 
repudiation of all forms of the dadtense of pro : 
gressive modification of living beings. He whose — 
mind remains uninfluenced by an acquaintance — 
with the phenomena of development, must indeed — 
lack one of the chief motives towards the — 
endeavour to trace a genetic relation between — 
the different existing forms of life. Those who — 
are ignorant of Geology, find no difficulty in - 
believing that the world was made as it is; and 
the shepherd, untutored in history, sees no reason — 
to regard the green mounds which indicate the 
site of a Roman camp, as aught but part and 
parcel of the primeeval hill-side. So M. Flourens, % 
who believes that embryos are formed “tout d’un 
coup,’ naturally finds no difficulty im conceiving 
that species came into existence in the same 
way. 
