X OBITUARY 289 



therefore, the origin of species in general lies in 

 variation ; while the origin of any particular 

 species lies, firstly, in the occurrence, and secondly, 

 in the selection and preservation of a particular 

 variation. Clearness on this head will relieve one 

 from the necessity of attending to the fallacious 

 assertion that natural selection is a deus ex machind, 

 or occult agency. 



Those, again, who confuse the operation of the 

 natural causes which bring about variation and 

 selection with what they are pleased to call 

 :< chance " can hardly have read the opening 

 paragraph of the fifth chapter of the " Origin " 

 (Ed. I, p. 131) : " I have sometimes spoken as if 

 the variations .... had been due to chance. 

 This is of course a wholly incorrect expression, 

 but it seems to acknowledge plainly our igno- 

 rance of the cause of each particular variation." 



Another point of great importance to the right 

 comprehension of the theory, is, that while every 

 species must needs have some adaptive advanta- 

 geous characters to which it owes its preservation 

 by selection, it may possess any number of others, 

 which are neither advantageous nor disadvanta- ] 

 geous, but indifferent, or even slightly disadvan- ' 

 tageous. (Ibid., p. 81.) For variations take place, 

 not merely in one organ or function at a time, but 

 in many ; and thus an advantageous variation, 

 which gives rise to the selection of a new race or 

 species, may be accompanied by others which are 



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