io Darwin, and after Darwin. 



Indeed while re-casting this portion of my lectures 

 for the present publication, I have felt that criticism 

 might be more justly urged from the side of im- 

 patience at a reiteration of facts and arguments 

 already so well known. But while endeavouring, as 

 much as possible, to avoid overlapping the previous 

 expositions, I have not carried this attempt to the 

 extent of damaging my own, by omitting any of the 

 more important heads of evidence ; and I have sought 

 to invest the latter with some measure of novelty by 

 making good what appears to me a deficiency which 

 has hitherto obtained in the matter of pictorial illus- 

 tration. In particular, there will be found a tolerably 

 extensive series of woodcuts, serving to represent the 

 more important products of artificial selection. These, 

 like all the other original illustrations, have been 

 drawn either direct from nature or from a comparative 

 study of the best authorities. Nevertheless, I desire 

 it to be understood that the first part of this treatise 

 is intended to retain its original character, as a merely 

 educational exposition of Darwinian teaching an 

 exposition, therefore, which, in its present form, 

 may be regarded as a compendium, or hand-book, 

 adapted to the requirements of a general reader, or 

 biological student as distinguished from those of a 

 professed naturalist. 



The case, however, is different with the second 

 instalment, which will be published at no very distant 

 date. Here I have not followed with nearly so much 

 closeness the material of my original lectures. On 

 the contrary, I have had in view a special class of 

 readers ; and, although I have tried not altogether to 

 sacrifice the more general class, I shall desire it to be 



