APPENDIX TO CHAPTER V. 



ON OBJECTIONS WHICH HAVE BEEN BROUGHT AGAINST THE 



THEORY OF ORGANIC EVOLUTION ON GROUNDS OF 



PALEONTOLOGY. 



WHILE stating in the text, and in a necessarily general way, 

 the evidence which is yielded by palaeontology to the theory 

 of organic evolution, I have been desirous of not overstating 

 it. Therefore, in the earlier paragraphs of the chapter, 

 which deal with the most general heads of such evidence, I 

 introduced certain qualifying phrases ; and I will now give 

 the reasons which led me to do so. 



Of all the five biological sciences which have been called 

 into evidence viz. those of Classification, Morphology, 

 Embryology, Palaeontology, and Geographical Distribution 

 it is in the case of palaeontology alone that any important 

 or professional opinions still continue to be unsatisfied. 

 Therefore, in order that justice may be done to this line of 

 dissent, I have thought it better to deal with the matter in 

 a separate Appendix, rather than to hurry it over in the 

 text. And, as all the difficulties or objections which have 

 been advanced against the theory of evolution on grounds of 

 palaeontology must vary, as to their strength, with the estimate 

 which is taken touching the degree of imperfection of the 

 geological record, I will begin by adding a few paragraphs to 

 what has already been said in the text upon this subject. 



First, then, as to the difficulties in the way of fossils being 



