"THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES." 331 



evolved. On the contrary, there is a great deal to be 

 said in favour. 



In the course of summing up his results, H. Filhol 

 observes : 



" During the epoch of the phosphorites, great changes 

 took place in animal forms, and almost the same types 

 as those which now exist became defined from one an- 

 other. 



" Under the influence of natural conditions of which 

 we have no exact knowledge, though traces of them are 

 discoverable, species have been modified in a thousand 

 ways : races have arisen which, becoming fixed, have 

 thus produced a corresponding number of secondary 

 species." 



In 1859, language of which this is an unintentional 

 paraphrase, occurring in the " Origin of Species," was 

 scouted as wild speculation; at present, it is a sober 

 statement of the conclusions to which an acute and 

 critically-minded investigator is led by large and patient 

 study of the facts of palaeontology. I venture to repeat 

 what I have said before, that, so far as the animal world 

 is concerned, evolution is no longer a speculation, but a 

 statement of historical fact. It takes its place alongside 

 of those accepted truths which must be reckoned with by 

 philosophers of all schools. 



Thus when, on the first day of October next, the 

 " Origin of Species " comes of age, the promise of its 

 youth will be amply fulfilled ; and we shall be prepared 

 to congratulate the venerated author of the book, not 



