THE KINSHIP OF LIFE. II 



Then again, if species be the subject of special in- 

 tervention such as some have imagined, how is it that 

 after years of study we are still uncer- 

 Lncertain ^^j^ ^^ ^^ their characters and bounda- 



boundaries of . ^ -,,, i r i i • i- 



ries ? We have found that no two indi- 



species. 



viduals of any species are ever quite 

 alike. We know that these variations group themselves 

 together so as to form subordinate races or varieties — 

 species within species. We know that again and again 

 these minor forms or subspecies have been mistaken for 

 real species. We know that in thousands of cases to- 

 day the good and the true species of one writer will 

 be only varieties with another. We know that every 

 year intermediate forms are found which break down 

 the walls between species, so that the better any group 

 is known the smaller becomes its list of species and 

 the greater the range of variations. There is absolutely 

 no test by which we can separate species from races or 

 varieties. Our actual test is the test of ignorance. 

 When we do not know any intervening forms we regard 

 two given species as distinct. When we find intergrada- 

 tions we unite these species. All naturalists have been 

 forced to admit that species seem to be but varieties "of 

 a larger growth," while varieties seem to be incipient 

 species. These facts had been noticed and had been 

 admitted long before most naturalists were willing 

 to believe that such appearances were anything but 

 most deceitful. Professor Cope tells us of a concholo- 

 gist who kept his species of shells from varying by 

 crushing under his heel all specimens which in any way 

 tended to depart from the proper type. It is only by 

 such methods as this that different species can be kept 

 distinct from each other. 



Let us take an illustration out of many that come to 

 hand. Continued explorations bring to light from year 



