182 CRITICISMS ON " THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES " 



And finally, as if to prevent all possible misconception, 

 Mr. Darwin concludes his Chapter on Variation with these 

 pregnant words : 



" Whatever the cause may be of each slight difference in the 

 offspring from their parents and a cause for each must exist it 

 is the steady accumulation, through natural selection of such 

 differences, when beneficial to the individual, that gives rise to all 

 the more important modifications of structure, by which the in- 

 numerable beings on the face of the earth are enabled to struggle 

 with each other, and the best adapted to survive." 



We have dwelt at length upon this subject, because of its 

 great general importance, and because we believe that 

 Professor Kolliker's criticisms on this head are based upon 

 a misapprehension of Mr. Darwin's views substantially 

 they appear to us to coincide with his own. The other 

 objections which Professor Kolliker enumerates and dis- 

 cusses are the following : * 



" 1. No transitional forms between existing species are known ; 

 and known varieties, whether selected or spontaneous, never go so 

 far as to establish new species." 



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 neces- 

 sarily 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 sufTlces for its own ends, 



* Space will not allow us to give Professor KClliker's arguments 

 In detail ; our readers will find a full and accurate version of them 

 in the Reader for August 13th and 20th, 1864. 



