208 Scientific Sophisms. 



only " apparently " " of a group of marine 

 animals." Of this group we have no other 

 view than a mere " glance," " an obscure 

 glance." But this first link, even when on the 

 strength of an obscure glance it has been 

 pronounced "apparent," is still not even 

 " apparently " connected with any other. The 

 connection required by the hypothesis very 

 far indeed from being " apparent " is " prob- 

 able " only. " These animals probably gave 

 rise to a group of fishes," " and from these 

 the Ganoids and other fishes must have been 

 developed." But why " must have been ? " 

 there is no sort of necessity except that which 

 is due to the exigencies of the theory. " From 

 such fish a very small advance would carry 

 us on to the amphibians." Possibly : but this 

 very small advance is not to be had. Mr. 

 Darwin's argument is made by himself to 

 depend on the strength of his " chain " ; and 

 the strength of his chain is precisely that of 

 its weakest link. But before all questions of 

 strength there must be the prior fact of ex- 

 istence. Chains are made not by an aggrega- 

 tion of detached links, but by their continuity 

 of concatenation. "A very small advance," 

 possibly : but to advance at all without the 

 aid of the missing link, is to abandon the 



