Masterpieces of Science 



state a fact. Any one whose disposition leads 

 him to attach more weight to unexplained dif- 

 ficulties than to the explanation of a certain num- 

 ber of facts will certainly reject the theory. A 

 few naturalists, endowed with much flexibility of 

 mind, and who have already begun to doubt the 

 immutability of species, may be influenced by 

 this volume; but I look with confidence to the 

 future, to young and rising naturalists, who will 

 be able to view both side,s of the question with 

 impartiality. Whoever is led to believe that 

 species are mutable will do good service by con- 

 scientiously expressing his conviction; for thus 

 only can the load of prejudice by which this sub- 

 ject is overwhelmed be removed. 



Several eminent naturalists have of late pub- 

 lished their belief that a multitude of reputed 

 species in each genus are not real species; but 

 that other species are real, that is, have been 

 independently created. This seems to me a 

 strange conclusion to arrive at. They admit that 

 a multitude of forms, which till lately they them- 

 selves thought were special creations, and which 

 are still thus looked at by the majority of natur- 

 alists, and which consequently have all the ex- 

 ternal characteristic features of true species— 

 they admit that these have been produced by 

 variation, but they refuse to extend the same 

 view to other and slightly different forms. 

 Nevertheless, they do not pretend that they can 

 define, or even conjecture, which are the created 

 forms of life, and which are those produced by 

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