CREATION BY LAW 145 



occur to him as possible. Intention is the one thing which 

 he does see, and which, when he does not see, he seeks for 

 diligently until he finds it. He exhausts every form of words 

 and of illustration, by which intention or mental purpose can 

 be described. ' Contrivance' 'curious contrivance,' 'beauti- 

 ful contrivance,' these are expressions which occur over and 

 over again. Here is one sentence describing the parts of a 

 particular species : ' The labellum is developed into a long 

 nectary, in order to attract Lepidoptera, and we shall presently 

 give reason for suspecting that the nectar is purposely so 

 lodged that it can be sucked only slowly in order to give time 

 for the curious chemical quality of the viscid matter setting 

 hard and dry.' " Many other examples of similar expressions 

 are quoted by the Duke, who maintains that no explanation 

 of these " contrivances " has been or can be given, except on 

 the supposition of a personal contriver, specially arranging 

 the details of each case, although causing them to be produced 

 by the ordinary processes of growth and reproduction. 



Now there is a difficulty in this view of the origin of the 

 structure of Orchids which the Duke does not allude to. The 

 majority of flowering plants are fertilised, either without the 

 agency of insects or, when insects are required, without any 

 very important modification of the structure of the flower. 

 It is evident, therefore, that flowers might have been formed 

 as varied, fantastic, and beautiful as the orchids, and yet have 

 been fertilised without more complexity of structure than is 

 found in violets, or clover, or primroses, or a thousand other 

 flowers. The strange springs and traps and pitfalls found in 

 the flowers of orchids cannot be necessary per se, since exactly 

 the same end is gained in ten thousand other flowers which 

 do not possess them. Is it not then an extraordinary idea, to 

 imagine the Creator of the universe contriving the various 

 complicated parts of these flowers, as a mechanic might con- 

 trive an ingenious toy or a difficult puzzle ? Is it not a more 

 worthy conception that they are some of the results of those 

 general laws which were so co-ordinated at the first intro- 

 duction of life upon the earth as to result necessarily in the 

 utmost possible development of varied forms ? 



But let us take one of the simpler cases adduced and see 

 if our general laws are unable to account for it. 

 L 



