188 A REMARKABLE ANTICIPATION OF 



The Section concludes in a significant paragraph in 

 which the author suggests that perhaps some of these 

 local varieties may be specially adapted to ' the circum- 

 stances of the countries in which the deviation has taken 

 rise ', and he finally concludes by introducing the succeed- 

 ing Section in these words : ' It may indeed be inquired, 

 whether the deviations in general, which appear to follow 

 a change of climate, are not founded on a law of the 

 animal economy, which gives rise to an alteration in the 

 breed calculated to fit the race for its new abode' (page 

 566). 



The sixth Section (p. 567) is headed Adaptation of 

 certain Breeds to particular local circtimstances. In 

 this Section we are provided with numerous instances 

 of the adaptation of races to their environments. Blumen- 

 bach's opinion in favour of the multiple origin of the dog 

 is quoted at some length. Considering the undoubted 

 adaptation of many breeds for certain ends, this naturalist 

 concludes : ' I can scarcely persuade myself to look upon 

 this as a mere accidental consequence of degeneration, 

 and not rather as an intentional contrivance of the 

 wise Creator.' To this Prichard replies that such a 

 remark ' suggests the inquiry whether the degeneration 

 or variation of animals is in fact a mere accidental phe- 

 nomenon . . . '. We should note that degeneration is 

 here used in the sense of departure from ancestral type, 

 and not implying, as it does in our time, any degradation 

 or simplification of structure. 



Then follows a paragraph most significant of modern 

 views of organic evolution and the kind of evidence on 

 which the modern naturalist relies. The remarkable 

 1 double relation ' which individual species bear on the 

 one hand to their special localities, and on the other to 

 the group to which they belong, is first pointed out, and 

 maintained to be characteristic of the vegetable kingdom 

 as well as the animal. Thus the species of a family or 

 genus are often distributed round a centre ' which seems 

 to be the principal focus or favourite seat of the tribe ', 

 from which the branches diverge in various directions. 

 The particular species, when compared, can be referred 



