THEOn T OF NA TUBAL ISRL ECTION. 209 



A distinguished zoologist, Mr. St. George Mivart, has 

 recently collected all the objections wliicli luive ever been 

 advanced by myself and others against the theory of natui-al 

 selection, as propounded by Mr. Wallace and myself, and 

 has illustrated them with admirable art and force. When 

 thus marshaled, they make a formidable array; and as it 

 forms no part of Mr. Mivart's plan to give the various 

 facts and considerations opposed to his conclusions, no 

 slight effort of reason and memory is left to the reader, 

 who may wish to weigh the evidence on both sides. Wlu-n 

 discussing special cases, Mr. Mivart passes over the effects 

 of the increased use and disuse of parts, which 1 have 

 always maintained to be highly important, and have treated 

 in my "^^ Variation under Domestication " at greater length 

 than, as I believe, any other writer. He likewise often 

 assumes that I attribute nothing to variation, independently 

 of natural selection, whereas in the work just referred to 

 I have collected a greater number of well-established cases 

 than can be found in any other work known to me. 

 My judgment may not be trustworthy, but after reading 

 with care Mr. Mivart's book, and comparing each section 

 with what I have said on the same head, I never before 

 felt so strongly convinced of the general truth of the con- 

 clusions here arrived at, subject, of course, in so intricate 

 a subject, to much partial error. 



All Mr. Miva^rt^s objections will be, or have been, con- 

 sidered in the present volume. The one new point wliich 

 appears to have struck many readers is, *' That natural 

 selection is incompetent to account for the incipient stages 

 of useful structures.^^ This subject is intimately connected 

 with that of the gradation of the characters, often 

 accompanied by a change of function, for instance, the 

 conversion of a swim-bladder into lungs, points which 

 were discussed in the last chapter under two headings. 

 Nevertheless, I will here consider in some detail several of 

 the cases advanced by Mr. Mivart, selecting those which 

 are the most illustrative, as want of space prevents me 

 from considering all. 



The giraffe, by its lofty stature, much elongated neck, 

 fore legs, head and tongue, has its whole frame beautifully 

 adapted for browsing on the higher branches of trees. It 

 can thus obtain food beyond the reach of the otlier Uugulata 



