98 Thomas Henry Huxley 



him beyond mere species-mongeriug, in 1850 one-half of 

 Lamarck's arguments were obsolete, and the other half erro- 

 neous or defective, in virtue of omitting to deal with the various 

 classes of evidence which had been brought to light since his 

 time. Moreover his one suggestion as to the cause of the grad- 

 ual modification of species — effort excited by change of condi- 

 tions— was, on the face of it, inapplicable to the whole vegetable 

 world. I do not think that any impartial judge who reads the 

 Philosophie Zoologiqiie now, and who afterwards takes up 

 Lyell's trenchant and effective criticism (published as far back 

 as 1830) will be disposed to allot to Lamarck a much higher 

 place in the establishment of biological evolution than that 

 which Bacou assigns to himself in relation to physical science 

 generally — buccinator tantum.'''' 



On the other hand, Huxley's friendship with Dar- 

 win and with lyvell began to make him less certain 

 about the fixity of species. He tells us that during his 

 first interview with Darwin, which occurred soon after 

 his return from the Rattlesnake, he 



" expressed his belief in the sharpness of the lines of de- 

 marcation between natural groups and in the absence of transi- 

 tional forms, with all the confidence of youth aud imperfect 

 knowledge. I was not aware at that time that he had been 

 many years brooding over the species question ; and the hu- 

 morous smile which accompanied his gentle answer, that such 

 was not altogether his view, long hauuted and puzzled me." 



An elaborate study of Lyell's works helped largely in 

 destroying this youthful confidence, and a letter written 

 by Lyell and quoted by Huxley in the chapter he com- 

 municated to Darwin's Life and Letters, states that in 

 April, 1856, " when Huxley, Hooker, and Wollaston 

 were at Darwin's last week they (all four of them) ran 

 a tilt against species; further I believe, than they are 

 prepared to go." Another quotation from Huxley's 

 essay on The Reception of the Origin of Species will make 



