152 THE LIVING WORLD. 



descendants of one pair of animals become asso- 

 ciated into groups. Each group has characters of 

 its own, and since it remains isolated from the 

 others, at least so far as interbreeding is concerned, 

 it soon establishes for itself a distinct line of descent, 

 a new race or a new species. Later in the history 

 perhaps its own descendants in like manner become 

 separated into still other groups, and so on, the 

 divergence becoming wider and wider as the cen- 

 turies roll by. Without some sort of isolation and 

 separation into groups divergence of character is 

 impossible. 



Convergence of Character the Result of Human 

 Development. 



The mind and ethical nature of man, and especially 

 the law of Christ, under which man is slowly learn- 

 ing to live, is producing a slow but sure modification 

 of the history of development. Instead of producing 

 isolation aud divergence, they are producing union and 

 convergence. 



Man is distinctly a social animal. Among the 

 lower animals there are some that have what are 

 known as social instincts. Instead of living as 

 isolated individuals they associate in groups for 

 mutual protection. Among animals of low intel- 

 ligence, like fishes, this has little significance in the 

 development. With higher animals, however, social 

 habits produce more effect. With the higher insects, 

 these social habits have been developed to their 

 highest point. The marvellous series of instincts so 

 well known among ants and bees are unquestionably 



