Evolution: The Quest of Truth 165 



Of course, the lifetime of a man is a 

 short span in which to catch and to observe 

 the movement of creation ; but if my doubt- 

 ing reader will come with me into the 

 fields, I will show him the process going 

 forward. He will see it in the many inter- 

 mediate and local differences in animals and 

 plants. Here a plant grows stronger and 

 there weaker, here erect and there decum- 

 bent, here it is small-leaved and there large- 

 leaved, and so on through all grades of 

 unlikenesses and combinations of unlikenesses. 



Naturalists are now divided as to whether 

 common differences grow into relatively 

 permanent or specific differences, but there 

 is no doubting the fact of variation or 

 fluctuating changes ; and if species are the 

 results of " mutations " or jumps, these 

 mutations are only one kind of variation or 

 difference. 



There are numerous groups in which 

 evolution is evident to the close observer. 

 These are the groups that are perplexing 

 to the systematist. They refuse to fall into 



