212 DARWINIANISM. 



That all that of the Descent/" of Man, say should be 

 supported, not on thirty years' actual observation, experi- 

 ment, and insight personally of the greatest naturalist 

 in existence, but only on little more than so many years' 

 clippings and cuttings from articles in periodicals and 

 other such, as about " Hearne the Hunter " ! 



We, however, if our respective position, so far, seem 

 only weak, have it immediately in our power to render 

 it at once impregnable by a reference to Mr. Darwin 

 himself. It is perfectly within the limits of truth to say 

 that his entire Journal disproves the struggle ! 



Mr. Darwin is no sooner at sea than he is amazed at 

 the illimitable profusion of life there of life, to say so, 

 in its first rudimentary or mere food-state, as in conferva; 

 and infusoria. The ship passes through great bands 

 of animalcules infinite in number, and again through 

 strips that are " whale-food " and consist of innumerable 

 " prawn-like crabs,'"' on which feed " terns, cormorants, 

 and immense herds of great unwieldy seals." He is at 

 a loss to imagine where the birthplace can be of these 

 " millions of millions of aninialcula and confer vae." 

 " Whence come the germs ? " he cries in astonishment. 



But his surprise is not one whit less, as to innumer- 

 ableness, even w r hen the larger lives are anywhere in 

 regard. Swarming, extremely abundant, immense flocks, 

 countless herds, vast numbers, thousands, myriads, millions, 

 millions of millions predicates such as these are to be 

 found passim in his book ; and they are applied to an 

 astonishing variety of living organisms: flies, fireflies, 

 butterflies, cicada?, crickets, spiders, beetles, ants, lizards, 

 glowworms, toads, frogs, rats, mice, foxes, waterhogs, 

 antelopes, deer, jaguars, pumas, guanacos, porpoises, seals, 

 sea-otters, penguins, gannets, frigate-birds, terns, boobies, 

 noddies, guinea fowl, egrets, cranes, ostriches, partridges, 

 tucutucos, cuckoos, vultures, bienteveos, mocking-birds, 



