KEVIEW OF THE MODERN DOCTRINE OF EVOLUTION. 235 



ginnings. Animal irritability and mobility have been lost, and 

 their own consciousness must be entirely eliminated from the 

 question of the origin of the many later and specialized types of 

 plants. But I venture here the hypothesis that the consciousness 

 of plant-using animals, as insects, has played a most important 

 part in modifying the structure of the organs of fructification in 

 the yegetable kingdom.* Certain it is that insects have been 

 effective agents in the preservation of certain forms of plants. I 

 would suggest whether the mutilations and strains they have for 

 long periods inflicted on the flowering organs, may not, as in some 

 similar cases in the animal kingdom, have originated peculiarities 

 of structure. 



Evolution of living types is then a succession of elevations of 

 l^latforms on which succeeding ones have built. The history of 

 one horizon of life is, that its own completion but prej^ares the 

 way of a higher one, furnishing the latter with conditions of a 

 still further development. Thus the vegetable kingdom died, so 

 to speak, that the animal kingdom might live ; having descended 

 from an animal stage to subserve the function of food for animals. 

 The successive types of animals have first stimulated the develop- 

 ment of the most susceptible to the conflict of the struggle for 

 existence, and afterward furnished them with food. Doubtless, 

 in the occupation of the world's fields, the easiest and nearest 

 at hand have been first occupied, and successively those which 

 were more difficult. The digging animals are generally those 

 which first abandoned the open field to more courageous or 

 stronger rivals ; and they remain to this day generally of low type 

 compared with others of their classes (e. g., Monotremata, Roden- 

 Hay Insectivora). All occupations have been filled before that one 

 which requires the greatest expenditure of energy, i. e., mental 

 activity. But all other modes of life have fallen short of this one 

 in giving the supremacy over nature. 



Automatism then represents a condition of ^'lapsed intelli- 

 gence" and diminished life. The unconscious automatism of 

 animals is a condition of still greater lapse. On the contrary, 

 sensibility is the condition of development, and the susceptibility 

 and impressibility which is the extreme reverse of automatism is 

 the especial character of youth. Here the " doctrine of the un- 

 specialized" finds justification again. 



* This opinion has also been expressed by Hermann Miillcr. 



