THE MADEIRA BEETLES CONCLUSION. 375 



minds that the winglessness of the beetles will prove 

 due either wholly, or at any rate mainly, to natural 

 selection, and that though it would be easy to set it 

 down to disuse, yet we must on no account do so. The 

 facts having been stated, Mr. Darwin continues: 

 " These several considerations make me believe that 

 the wingless condition of so many Madeira beetles is 

 mainly due to the action of natural selection," and when 

 we go on to the words that immediately follow, " com- 

 bined probably with disuse," we are almost surprised at 

 finding that disuse has had anything to do with the 

 matter. We feel a languid wish to know exactly how 

 much and in what way it has entered into the combi- 

 nation ; but we find it difficult to think the matter out, 

 and are glad to take it for granted that the part played 

 by disuse must be so unimportant that we need not 

 consider it. Mr. Darwin continues : 



" For during many successive generations each indi- 

 vidual beetle which flew least, either from its wings 

 having been ever so little less perfectly developed, or 

 from indolent habit, will have had the best chance of 

 surviving from not having been blown out to sea ; and 

 on the other hand those beetles which most readily took 

 to flight would oftenest be blown out to sea and perish." * 



So apt are we to believe what we are told, when 

 it is told us gravely and with authority, and when 

 there is no statement at hand to contradict it, that 

 we fail to see that Mr. Darwin is all the time really 

 attributing the winglessness of the Madeira beetles 

 either to the qua him unknown causes which have led 



* ' Origin of Species,' p. 109. 



