368 THE GROWTH OF THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' 



of evolution to the " whole organic kingdom " from plants to 

 man. 



'*If we choose to let conjecture run wild, then animals, 

 our fellow brethren in pain, disease, death, suffering and fam- 

 ine — our slaves in the most laborious works, our companions 

 in our amusements — they may partake [of?] our origin in one 

 common ancestor — we may be all melted together." 



'' The different intellects of man and animals not so great 

 as between living things without thought (plants), and living 

 things with thought (animals)." 



The following extracts are again concerned with an a priori 

 view of the probability of the origin of species by descent 

 [" propagation," he called it]. 



'' The tree of life should perhaps be called the coral of 

 life, base of branches dead ; so that passages cannot be 

 seen." 



" There never may have been grade between pig and tapir, 

 yet from some common progenitor. Now if the intermediate 

 ranks had produced infinite species, probably the series would 

 have been more perfect." 



At another place, speaking of intermediate forms he 

 says : — 



'' Cuvier objects to propagation of species by saying, why 

 have not some intermediate forms been discovered between 

 Palaeotherium, Megalonyx, Mastodon, and the species now 

 living ? Now according to my view (in S. America) parent of 

 all Armadilloes might be brother to Megatherium — uncle now 

 dead." 



Speaking elsewhere of intermediate forms, he remarks : — 



" Opponents will say — show them me. I will answer yes, if 

 you will show me every step between bulldog and grey- 

 hound." 



Here we see that the case of domestic animals was already 

 present in his mind as bearing on the production of natural 

 species. The disappearance of intermediate forms naturally 

 leads up to the subject of extinction, with which the next 

 extract begins. 



