1 86 THE MAIN CURRENTS OF ZOOLOGY 



understood. That the progress of science, broadly 

 speaking, has been beneficial will not be disputed. 

 Manifestly it has been a powerful reconstructing 

 force. Wherever investigations of the phenomena of 

 nature have taken away old beliefs they have sub- 

 stituted something better and more consistent. But 

 zoology in particular, in the last half century, has 

 concerned itself with the investigation of the phe- 

 nomena of all living animals of the globe. This has 

 brought zoological investigation into a realm that 

 touches more closely than any other, the problems 

 of human origin and destiny. 



The phenomena of life are so difficult of analysis 

 and apparently so mysterious that, naturally, there 

 was a great amount of metaphysical speculation re- 

 garding their interpretation, and many superstitions 

 and misconceptions arose. Zoology undertook to 

 investigate these problems and came into conflict 

 with traditional opinion. The atmosphere of thought 

 engendered by the progress of these studies of animal 

 life was broadening, and in its influence as wholesome 

 as it was stimulating. Wherever biological investiga- 

 tion prospered the results shed light and dispelled 

 error. There was progress -in straight thinking. 



Immediately after the Renaissance these new 



