NATURAL SELECTION CRITICISED. 261 



admits, from an early hearing of his views, a probable 

 influence on himself, calls him in the Origin " this justly 

 celebrated naturalist," and acknowledges to Hooker 

 (ii. 23), "Heaven forefend me from Lamarck nonsense, 

 but the conclusions I am led to are not widely different 

 from his." Nor, whether in sexual or natural selection, 

 is there wanting, it may be, at least the touch of a 

 reflection from Lamarck. If the female choose the male 

 for his manliness, it is her will that acts ; and if in 

 stalking his fish ever deeper and deeper, the legs con- 

 tinually lengthen to the stork, this is really not alien to 

 his will even if due to successive advantage. 



Nay, it is almost possible to go further. Here is a 

 mass of formless jelly an amoeba, say. It already 

 takes in, digests, and throws out ; and it already moves. 

 Well, now, every one of these functions it just improves 

 infinitely by adoption of advantage after advantage in- 

 finitely in the infinity of time. It acquires a stomach, 

 and an end-gut. It acquires a mouth, and it gradually 

 fills it with tongue and teeth that conduct into a gullet. 

 It acquires processes to move by, which become hip, and 

 thigh, and kne.e, and shin, and calf, and ankle, and heel, 

 and sole, and toes toes with nails on them. What is 

 this but Lamarckian acquirement through nisus of wish. 

 It wants to take in better and better it wants to give 

 out better and better it wants to move better and 

 better : and so better and better just follows to its wish. 

 Absolutely, the shrewd old grandfather, imperious Dr. 

 Erasmus, did not, after all, say anything so very far 

 away when he presumed that " the tadpole acquires legs 

 and lungs when he wants them, and loses his tail 

 when it is no longer of use to him ! " And so, conse- 

 quently, neither, after all, was " old J. E. Gray at the 

 British Museum " elsewhere than in his rights when, 

 says Mr. Darwin (iL 242), " he attacked me in fine 



