WHAT IS A SPECIES? 259 



Naturalists of an older school at times seem to fancy that 

 they settle the question by saying that there can be no interme- 

 diate forms and no blending of species, because every species 

 is a distinct creation ; but as no two individuals are precisely alike, 

 it is quite clear that from their point of view each individual 

 is a distinct creation, and hence, that the groups into which 

 they gather bodies of individuals are more or less arbitrary 

 and dependent on opinion. This difference they say is speci- 

 fic, that a mere variation ; in other words, here there has been 

 a distinct creation, there there has not ; but who has told them 

 so ? If they contented themselves with saying, " if we could 

 find out which were distinct creations, these and these only 

 would we admit as species," no one could gainsay them ; but 

 as a matter of fact they cannot fiud this out, there is no 

 revelation on the subject, and as they can never make sure of 

 what are and what are not distinct creations, or consequently 

 which little closely allied groups ought, according to their 

 views, to constitute species, and which only " races" or u local 

 varieties," it would be only reasonable for them to admit with 

 the modern school that the " species" with which we deal in 

 practise are after all nothing but divisions, adopted for conve- 

 nience, more or less artificial and more or less matters of 

 opinion. 



To be logical we ought, it appears to me, to accept one of 

 two theories ; either the direct constant interference of the Crea- 

 tor in every detail, or the continual operation under natural 

 laws of a creative energy. 



If however we could really grasp the somewhat hazy ideas 

 prevalent on this subject, we should, 1 apprehend, find that the 

 popular view was a sort of compromise between these two for- 

 mulas, based on a notion that God interferes in the more impor- 

 tant events of the world, leaving minor matters to be governed 

 by natural laws. Thus, those who would stoutly maintain that 

 the Blue Rock Pigeon was created as a distinct species by the 

 direct action of the Almighty would scout the idea of His having 

 directly intervened to produce the Fantail or the Carrier. When 

 some blood-stained tyrant is hurled by an indignant people 

 from his misused throne, this is accepted as the handiwork of 

 God by myriads who would deem it profane to suppose that 

 he had any concern with the daily slaughter of animals for 

 human consumption. 



Sometimes the compromise takes another form, and the notion 

 seems to be that the Creator has from time to time imparted 

 successive impulses to the world or things in \t, leaving it and 

 them in the interim to run on in accordance with natural laws, 

 and thus through long past ages has created now this, now that 



