398 REVIEWS—ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. 
in these successive strata of rocks successive groups of animals arising and 
dying out, a constant succession, giving you the same kind of impression, as 
you travel from one group of strata to another, as you would have in travelling 
from one country to another ;—when you find this constant succession of forms, 
their traces obliterated except to the man of science,—when you look at this 
wonderful history, and ask what it means, itis only a paltering with words if 
you are offered the reply,—‘‘ They were so created.” 
But if, on the other hand, you look on all forms of organized beings as the 
results of the gradual modification of a primitive type, the facts receive a mean- 
ing, and you see that these older conditions are the necessary predecessors of 
the present. Viewed in this light the facts of paleontology receive a meaning 
—upon any other hypothesis, 1am unable to see, in the slightest degree, what 
knowledge or signification we are to draw out of them. Again, note as bearing 
upon the same point, the singular likeness which obtains between the successive 
Faun and Flore, whose remains are preserved on the rocks: you never find 
any great and enormous difference between the immediately successive Faunze 
and Florez, unless you have reason to believe there has also been a great lapse 
of time or a great change of conditions. The animals, for instance, of the newest 
tertiary rocks, in any part of the world, are always, and without exception, 
found to be closely allied with those which now live in that part of the world. 
For example, in Europe, Asia, and Africa, the large mammals are at present 
rhinoceroses, hippopotamuses, elephants, lions, tigers, oxen, horses, &c.; and if 
you examine the newest tertiary deposits, which contain the animals and plants 
which immediately preceded those which now exist in the same country, you 
do not find gigantic specimens of ant-eaters and kangaroos, but you find rhino- 
ceroses, elephants, lions, tigers, &c.,—of different species to those now living,— 
but still their close allies. If you turn to South America, where, at the present 
day, we have great sloths and armadilloes and creatures of that kind, what do 
you find in the newest tertiaries? You find the great sloth-like creature, the 
Megatherium, and.the great armadillo, the Glyptodon, and soon. And if you 
go to Australia you find the same law holds good, namely, that that condition 
of organic nature which has preceded the one which now exists, presents differ- 
ences perhaps of species, and of genera, but that the great types of organic 
structure are the same as those which now flourish. 
What meaning has this fact upon any other hypothesis or aippccinan than 
one of successive modification? But if the population of the world, in any age, 
is the result of the gradual modification of the forms which peopled it in the pre- 
ceding age,—if that has been the case, it is intelligible enough; because we may 
expect that the creature that results from the modification of an elephantine 
mammal shall be something like an elephant, and the creature which is pro- 
duced by the modifieation of an armadillo-like mammal shall be like an arma- 
dillo. Upon that supposition, I say, the facts are intelligible; upon any other, 
that I am aware of, they are not. 
So far, the facts of paleontology are consistent with almost any form of the 
doctrine of progressive modification ; they would not be absolutely inconsistent 
with the wild speculations of De Maillet, or with the less objectionable hypo-= 
thesis of Lamarck. But Mr; Darwin’s views have one peculiar merit; and that 
