126 The Life and Writings of 



The writings of Rafinesque should be regarded from 

 the literary standpoint of his time, in the field which 

 he cultivated. Natural history was not then the impor 

 tant branch of culture it is now; it was not cultivated 

 by men of classical training, or but rarely so ; the men 

 who worked at natural history problems did not always 

 possess the advantage of the drill and refinement then 

 supposed to pertain solely to the languages. If these 

 facts be remembered the judgments formed concerning 

 the style of Rafinesque will be generously modified; 

 final opinions will on the whole prove to be quite compli 

 mentary. 



RAFINESQUE AND EVOLUTION. 



The wide acquaintance of Rafinesque with the physi 

 cal conditions under which plants grow, and with the 

 evident relationships which exist between physical factors 

 and the forms of plant life, seems to have resulted in 

 some views concerning species, varieties, and so on, 

 that entitle him to distinction as an evolutionist. It 

 is not meant by this that he had a carefully formulated 

 system of evolutionary development in mind; it is in 

 tended to be understood as implying that he did, how 

 ever, clearly see one of the important factors in that 

 far-reaching philosophic doctrine. From an early period 



