220 OUTLINES OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY 



In concluding this chapter it may be well to remind the reader 

 that the idea of organic evolution is no novelty, but can be 

 traced back to the philosophy of ancient Greece. It will be more 

 convenient, however, to postpone what we have to say about the 

 history of the evolution theory to a later chapter and in the 

 meantime to familiarize ourselves with the theory itself and the 

 evidence upon which it is based. 



