306 fag Smtums, (JNsags, anfr JUfabtos. L XI1I 



To this Professor Kolliker appears to attach some 

 weight He makes the suggestion that the short-faced 

 tumbler pigeon may be a pathological product. 



"2. No transitional forms of animals are met with among the 

 organic remains of earlier epochs." 



Upon this, Professor Kolliker remarks that the absence 

 of transitional forms in the fossil world, though not ne- 

 cessarily fatal to Darwin's views, weakens his case. 



" 3. The struggle for existence does not take place." 



To this objection, urged by Pelzeln, Kolliker, very 

 justly, attaches no weight. 



" 4. A tendency of organisms to give rise to useful varieties, and 

 a natural selection, do not exist. 



" The varieties which are found arise in consequence of manifold 

 external influences, and it is not obvious why they all, or partially, 

 should be particularly useful. Each animal suffices for its own ends, 

 is perfect of its kind, and needs no further development. Should, 

 however, a variety be useful and even maintain itself, there is no 

 obvious reason why it should change any further. The whole con- 

 ception of the imperfection of organisms and the necessity of their 

 becoming perfected is plainly the weakest side of Darwin's Theory, 

 and a pis alter (Nothbehelf) because Darwin could think of no other 

 principle by which to explain the metamorphoses which, as I also 

 believe, have occurred." 



Here again we must venture to dissent completely 

 from Professor Kolliker's conception of Mr. Darwin's 

 hypothesis. It appears to us to be one of the many 

 peculiar merits of that hypothesis that it involves no 

 belief in a necessary and continual progress of organisms. 



Again, ]\Ir. Darwin, if we read him aright, assumes 

 no special tendency of organisms to give rise to useful 

 varieties, and knows nothing of needs of development, 

 or necessity of perfection. What he says is, in sub- 

 stance : All organisms vary. It is in the highest degree 

 improbable that any given variety should have exactly 

 the same relations to surrounding conditions as 1 the 



