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REVIEWS—ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. 385 
‘of forms, and in the want of transitional forms amongst them; but 
the abrupt appearance in this manner, of numerous, varied, and dis- 
tinct types; and especially, the abrupt appearance of distinct sets of 
these, again and again, in geolozical history, if not absolutely fatal, is, 
at least, highly adverse to the Limarckian or transmutation view. 
The only possible way indeed, in this case, to reconcile fact with theory, 
is to maintain, with Mr. Darwin, the imperfection of the geological 
record. But admitting freely the imperfect state of this record, we may. 
legitimately inquire if the imperfection be really sufficient to invalidate 
the force of eur argument. In each of these groups of rocks, we have 
evidence, according te Mr. Darwin’s own shewing, of the lapse of an 
immense interval of time—and yet, transition-forms are absent. And, 
again, is it not mest remarkable that the annals of this imperfect 
record, belonging to different and distant ages, and collected from 
such widely distant localities, should all tell, the same tale, should alt 
point to one and the same conclusion, and that an adverse one to Mr. 
Darwin’s view. Assuredly, this cannot be the mere effect of chance. 
If so, it is as remarkable as would be the case of a hundred coins, 
thrown at random into the air, all falling with the same face upper- 
most. It seems impossible therefore, to avoid the conclusion, that, 
although—by the advancement of organic forms generally, trom 
lower te higher types, which it reveals; by the extinction of entire 
races, which it plainly announces; by the vast periods of time, which 
the just explanation of its facts demands—Geology might s. em at first 
thought to favor the transmutation hypothesis: its records, when 
rightly and fairly read, will be found altogether @pposeJ to that il- 
lusive view. 
We have not yet reached the end of Mr. Darwin’s book: several 
‘chapters still remain undiscussed, but the grand argument virtually 
‘closes here. The remaining portions of the work are occupied chiefly 
by additional illustrations, and by a general recapitulatery statement of 
the subjects brought under review in the earlier chapters of the , olume. 
These illustrations bear principally on the difficulties attached to the 
commonly received belief, the special-creation theory as this has been 
termed ; and seek to uphold the development view, not by shewing 
the real strength of this, but by exposing the assumed weakness of the 
opposing system—in its impossibility, for example, to explain the 
cause of various striking phenomena connected with the geographicak 
Vou. V. 2p 
