32 Heredity, Variation and Genius 



inherited. Neither offspring of hare or of giraffe 

 profited anything by parental habits of life and 

 growth ; all the gradual gains of evolution were 

 the result of the accumulation of successive small 

 variations favouring the survival of the creatures 

 in which they accidentally occurred. Nature just 

 selected the fit spontaneous variation and went on 

 selecting the fit additions to it generation after 

 generation, no variation owing the least intrinsic 

 predisposition to any constitutional modifications 

 of the well or ill functioning parent. Such is 

 the large call made on an unlimited number of 

 spontaneous or accidental variations — so many apt 

 special creations — without any explanation of 

 their origins, with the positive assurance only that 

 parental habits of function had nothing to do with 

 them ; for natural selection does not make the 

 initial rudiment — that is admitted — it only takes 

 advantage of it when made, although with an 

 amazing prescience it is thought to make the fit 

 choice and additions when the nascent variation 

 is so minute or so circumstanced as yet to be no 

 conceivable emolument, perhaps even an incon- 

 venience or seeming disservice. 



If, as assumed, the highly favoured creature 

 which puts forth the mysteriously begotten varia- 

 tion does so spontaneously, its offspring in succes- 

 sion putting it forth spontaneously when it is 

 lucky enough ; and if not it then another creature 

 of the species, and thenceforth others here and 

 there sporadically in ever increasing numbers 



