402 GREAT STEPS IN ORGANIC EVOLUTION 



complex structure. The living artist does not leave many 

 creations in the sketch stage. " I believe," the poet said, 

 " that everything is equally perfect." 



It seems to us fair to say that the very broad foundations 

 laid among backboneless animals and among the lower back- 

 boned animals like fishes, make the superstructure stable. 

 Let us suppose for a moment if we do not suppose it always 

 that the whole process of animate evolution is a coherent 

 thought leading on to Man, who, limited as he is, has some 

 capacity of intelligent appreciation, may it not be that the 

 foundations were and are because without them the super- 

 structure could not stand ? That is a matter for interpre- 

 tation, which is beyond science, and it introduces concep- 

 tions of values which are also beyond science. What we 

 venture to emphasise is the fact that without the broad 

 foundations the superstructure could not be. As biologists 

 we do not say that a welter of water-fleas and the like 

 came into being in order that there might be fishes, 

 and fishes in order that there might be fishermen; what we 

 do say is, that, as a matter of fact, the existence of fishes 

 depends on that extraordinarily diversified, prolific, intricate, 

 and beautiful fauna of minute organisms. 



We have already referred to the puzzling disappearance 

 of masterpieces, part of the explanation of which is that 

 over-specialisation has its nemesis and that very successful 

 organisms tend to a dangerous exuberance when they get 

 away from the pruning shears of Natural Selection. But 

 it was probably worth losing the giant reptiles to get birds 

 and mammals in their stead. There is little evidence that 

 big inventions once made have ever been lost. 



But what must be dominant in our minds after a survey 

 of the achievements of Animate Evolution is that the process 



