166 FROM THE GREEKS TO DARWIN 



letters of the title of his book reversed those of 

 his own name — Telliamed, ou Entretiens d'un 

 philosophe indien sur la diminution de la Mer 

 avec un missionaire fran^ais. The argument is 

 sustained in a dialogue which is of a thoroughly- 

 devout character, de Maillet endeavoring to show 

 that his system conforms to the teachings of 

 Genesis. He interpreted the days of Genesis as 

 so many gradual periods or epochs, holding that 

 the first period of life was preceded by a univer- 

 sal deluge, and that the origin of life began with 

 the gradual recession of the sea from the earth. 

 Here re-enters the favorite Greek doctrine of 

 pre-existing germs. These germs were predeter- 

 mined as to the forms to which they should give 

 rise, but only those forms developed to which the 

 gradually changing environment was favorable. 

 Thus, the lower forms of life appeared while the 

 waters were still in excess, while, as the waters re- 

 ceded, higher and higher forms arose. But the 

 scene of development was invariably the sea ; the 

 germs gave rise to no land forms direct, but land 

 forms were always developed by transformation 

 from marine forms. Thus, all organisms were ar- 

 ranged in two series: first, the aquatic and ma- 

 rine, springing directly from the germs; and 

 second, the terrestrial and aerial, arising by 

 metamorphosis from the marine. In these trans- 

 formations de Maillet was not embarrassed by 



