EIGHTEENTH CENTURY EVOLUTIONISTS 193 



turees') by the great changes in land and sea, by 

 the favors or disfavors of Nature, by food, by 

 the prolonged influences of climate, contrary or 

 favorable, are no longer what they formerly 

 were'' Again he says: "One is surprised at the 

 rapidity with which species vary, and the facility 

 with which they lose their primitive characteris- 

 tics in assuming new forms." 



We are tempted to translate the term 'dena- 

 turees' by our modern term 'evolved,' since, as we 

 see above, Buffon embraced in it the two modern 

 ideas of development {'perfectionnement') and 

 degeneration {'degeneration). But this would 

 convey a broader conception than seems to have 

 been at any time in his mind ; for, by the express 

 use of 'denaturees,' he gives us an insight into 

 the limits of his conception. He could not wholly 

 shake off the Linngean idea that each species was 

 originally a special type, as impressed by the 

 Creator, containing some ineffaceable and per- 

 manent characters, and that variation consisted 

 in the departure from these natural and original 

 characters. For example, he was deeply im- 

 pressed with the fixity of specific type impres- 

 sion among the larger animals, such as the quad- 

 rupeds, believing them to be comparatively in- 

 variable. 



Throughout Buffon's writings we find this 

 wavering between the literalism of Genesis and 



