LAMARCK'S PHILOSOPHICAL POSITION. 247 



" The ' Philosophie Zoologiqne,' " continues Professor 

 Haeckel, " is the first connected exposition of the theory 

 of descent carried out strictly into all its consequences ; 

 .... and with the exception of Darwin's work, which 

 appeared exactly half a century later, we know of none 

 which we could in this respect place by the side of the 

 ' Philosophie Zoologique.' How far it was in advance 

 of its time is perhaps best seen from the circumstance 

 that it was not understood by most men, and for fifty 

 years was not spoken of at all." * 



This is an exaggeration, both as regards the origin- 

 ality of Lamarck's work and the reception it has met 

 with. It is probably more accurate to say with M. 

 Martins that Lamarck's theory has " never yet had the 

 honour of being discussed seriously," f not, at least, in 

 connection with the name of its originators. 



So completely has this been so that the author of the 

 ' Vestiges of Creation,' even in the edition of 1860, in 

 which he unreservedly acknowledges the adoption of 

 Lamarck's views, not unfrequeutly speaks disparagingly 

 of Lamarck himself, and never gives him his due meed 

 of recognition. I am not, therefore, wholly displeased 

 to find this author conceiving himself to have been 

 treated by Mr. Charles Darwin with some of the in- 

 justice which he has himself inflicted on Lamarck. 



In the 1859 edition of the 'Origin of Species,' and 

 in a very prominent place, Mr. Darwin says : ' The 

 author of the ' Vestiges of Creation ' would I presume 



* ' History of Creation,' English translation, vol. i. pp. Ill, 112. 

 t M. Martins' edition of the ' Philosophie Zoologique,' Paris, 1873. 

 Introd., p. vi. 



