LINNAEUS AS AN EVOLUTIONIST 75 



such." And because of this which might 

 well enough be called the supernatural rather 

 than the natural origin of genera because of 

 this origin, he argues that: ''No one genus 

 is ruthlessly to be divided and treated as 

 if there were two; neither are any two or 

 more to be put together as if constituting 

 only one." 



In the light of such a pronouncement one 

 could not attribute to LinnaBus any notion of 

 the gradual evolution of such groups of species 

 as constitute genera; and if a genus is to have 

 such origin, so, by the necessities of logic, are 

 species also made; and he says: "All species 

 are certain diversities of form which the 

 Infinite Being created so in the beginning; 

 which forms, according to immutable laws of 

 generation, produce always their like." From 

 this he proceeds to establish more firmly, if 

 possible, the immutability of species by defin- 

 ing generation as being the actual "continu- 

 ation of the species;" and he concludes by 

 calling attention to how, as by necessity, this 

 origin of all species precludes the possibility 

 of any new species ever arising. And thus 

 under the heading of species does our author 

 seem to have builded even a more insur- 

 mountable wall against the possibility of 



