252 Darwin, and after Darwin. 



method which first set him seriously to enquire into 

 the evidences of evolution as a fact ; and ever since he 

 published his results, the evidences which he adduced 

 in favour of natural selection as a method have con- 

 stituted some of the strongest reasons which scientific 

 men have felt for accepting evolution as a fact. Of 

 course the evidence in favour of this fact has gone on 

 steadily growing, quite independently of the assistance 

 which was thus so largely lent to it by the distinct- 

 ively Darwinian theory of its method ; and, indeed, so 

 much has this been the case, that in the present treatise 

 we have been able to consider such direct evidence of 

 the fact itself, without any reference at all to the indirect 

 or accessory evidence which is derived from that of 

 natural selection as a method. From which it follows 

 that in most of what I am about to say in subsequent 

 chapters on the evidences of natural selection as a 

 method, there will be furnished a large addition to the 

 evidences which have already been detailed of evolution 

 as a fact. But, as a matter of systematic treatment, I 

 have thought it desirable to keep these two branches of 

 our subject separate. Which means that I have made 

 the evidences of evolution as a fact to stand indepen- 

 dently on their own feet feet which in my opinion are 

 amply strong enough to bear any weight of adverse 

 criticism that can be placed upon them. 



Our position, then, is this. On the foundation of 

 the previous chapters, I will henceforth assume that 

 we all accept organic evolution as a fact, without 

 requiring any of the accessory evidence which is gained 

 by independent proof of natural selection as a method. 

 But in making this assumption namely, that we are 

 all now firmly persuaded of the fact of evolution I do 



