2 THE GENESIS OF SPECIES. [CHAP. 



evolve itself, as, e.g., a spider rather than a beetle, a 

 rose-plant rather than a pear) is shrouded in obscurity. 

 A fortiori must this be the case with the origin of 

 a " species." 



Moreover, the analogy between a " species " and an 

 "individual" is a very incomplete one. The word "in- 

 dividual " denotes a concrete whole with a real, separate, 

 and distinct existence. The word " species," on the other 

 hand, denotes a peculiar congeries of characters, innate 

 powers and qualities, and a certain nature realized indeed 

 in individuals, but having no separate existence, except 

 ideally as a thought in some mind. 



Thus the birth of a " species " can only be compared 

 metaphorically, and very imperfectly, with that of an 

 " individual." 



Individuals as individuals, actually and directly produce 

 and bring forth other individuals; but no "congeries of 

 characters," no "common nature" as such, can directly 

 bring forth another " common nature," because, per se, it 

 has no existence (other than ideal) apart from the indi- 

 viduals in which it is manifested. 



The problem then is, " by what combination of natural 

 laws does a new ' common nature ' appear upon the scene 

 of realized existence ?" i.e. how is an individual embody- 

 ing such new characters produced? 



For the approximation we have of late made towards 

 the solution of this problem, we are mainly indebted to 

 the invaluable labours and active brains of Charles Darwin 

 and Alfred Wallace. 



Nevertheless, important as have been the impulse and 

 direction given by those writers to both our observations 

 and speculations, the solution will not (if the views here 



