450 ACTUAL WORKING IN ORIGINAL RESEARCH. 



gradual but irregular unfolding of the true explanation, 

 some parts of the progress being very slow and others 

 very rapid. 



In actual research we do not wait until an investigation 

 is completed before we seek to explain the results ; but we 

 draw conclusions at intervals as we proceed, usually after 

 each experiment, each class of experiments, and after all 

 the experiments have been made. We also note down 

 remarks, comparisons, and suggestions of every kind bear- 

 ing upon the subject, which occur to us as we proceed. 

 The most comprehensive inferences, or those which in- 

 clude the greatest number of cases, are generally formed 

 the last, because they require to be drawn from the 

 greatest variety and number of results. The various con- 

 clusions, certain or probable, inferred from the results as 

 we proceed, continually enable us to clear away false hypo- 

 theses, and suggest to us additional new questions to be 

 decided. It is very rare indeed that a collection of scien- 

 tific truths lying ready to hand, are sufficiently complete 

 or systematic in themselves, to contain all the information 

 necessary for their true and complete explanation, or for 

 entirely proving a new theory. The true explanation is 

 that one which completely agrees with all the facts, and 

 not only with all the ordinary instances, but also with all 

 the exceptional ones. 



The method of obtaining an explanation of the results 

 of a research (and of scientific facts in general) consists of 

 two processes, viz. the comparing and classifying them, 

 and thereby evolving analogies, similarities, and differ- 

 ences ; and 2nd, drawing conclusions or inferences in the 

 form of general truths, laws, principles, causes, coinci- 

 dences, &c., from such similarities and differences. In 

 each of these two processes we only alter the form of the 

 original truths, and thereby make apparent more of the 



