SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



167 



remains of plants and animals does so continuously, 

 while species are changing as well as when they 

 are in a state of stability. The ancient oceans in 

 which were laid down certain strata of the 

 geological series lasted long enough to record the 

 change of many species, as indeed they do, but as 

 discontinuous ; and to account for the want of 

 continuity we must bring in some supposition of 

 the following nature. Either the species migrated, 

 and were changed elsewhere where no deposition 

 was taking place, coming back as a new species ; 

 or else we must suppose that the old species 

 simply died out, and new ones manufactured else- 

 where stepped in. Such suppositions we commend 

 to those who desire to take them. 



Like the various other objections brought 

 forward against the original theory of natural 

 selection by modern amenders of the same, this 

 lack of continuity has been urged also by critics of 

 Darwinism from the first. Like the others again, 

 it has been replied to by those holding briefs for 

 the older view, in spite of the fact that they 

 themselves may have set forth equally formidable 

 objections and difficulties. If we look back for a 

 moment to Professor F. Jenkins' able criticism of 

 Darwinism, we will find that he urged the very 

 objections recently brought forward by Dr. 

 Romanes, Mr. Bateson, Professor Eimer, and 

 others. 



Mr. Bateson tells us how these difficulties arose, 

 and confronted him while he was engaged in the 

 fascinating work of investigating the anatomy and 

 development of Balanoglossus. Now it is said of golf 

 that the man who once gives himself up to it is 

 quickly lost to all sense of duty ; the ties of home 

 and kindred are as nothing in comparison with his 

 beloved game. So it may be believed that the potent 

 charm of tracing the development of any organism, 

 fitting it with a pedigree, and adding another tree 

 to the genealogical forest which forms the play- 

 ground of the modern naturalist, paralyzes the 

 scientific conscience. Those who indulge in it 

 are lost to reason and common-sense, and revel in 

 the wildest and most fantastic assumptions. How, 

 then, has Mr. Bateson, a modern Ulysses, had the 

 courage and strength of mind to bind himself to 

 the mast of reason and common-sense and shut his 

 ears to the sweet songs of the syrens singing of 

 animal pedigrees, while his fellow naturalists were 

 leaping on all sides into the sea of speculation ? 

 How has he escaped the almost universal desire to 

 join the Zoological Heralds' College and help to 

 fit the animal creation with pedigrees and coats of 

 arms ? Has his firm stand been the result of an 

 early saturation with the principles of Euclid? 

 For it seems to us that only when the imagination 

 has been nurtured on the spare and meagre diet of 

 Euclid, trigonometry and the calculus, is it able to 

 resist the allurements of speculation and bind itself 



to the stern requirements of fact. Above all, when 

 pasturing in the luxuriant fields of zoology does 

 it grow wanton and indulge in wild guesses. Mr. 

 Bateson has refused to listen to the voice of the 

 charmer, and only fitted Balanoglossus with a pedi- 

 gree, which he now discards, under protest. But, 

 alas ! in spite of such heroic conduct, our author 

 has not been able to resist the temptation of pro- 

 posing a theory of his own. The mathematical or 

 logical bent of his intellect has carried him thus 

 far on a sea of glory, but now has left him to the 

 mercy of the critic. 



Like the rest of the vendors of new lamps for 

 old, Mr. Bateson seems to wish to make it appear 

 that he has not really departed from Darwinism — 

 or at least to minimise the extent of his departure. 

 Thus he writes concerning natural selection as 

 follows: "In the view of the phenomena of 

 variation here outlined, there is nothing which is 

 in any way opposed to the theory of the origin of 

 species ' by means of natural selection, or the* 

 preservation of favoured races in the struggle for 

 life.' But by a full and unwavering belief in 

 the doctrine as originally expressed, we shall 

 in no way be committed to representations of 

 that doctrine made by those who have come 

 after." Yet certain statements seem to imply 

 Mr. Bateson's belief that some species, at least, 

 have arisen without natural selection. The whole 

 motif of the book, indeed, seems to be the suggestion 

 that species may have so originated. Yet we must 

 do the author the justice to state that he propounds 

 no definite theory. Nor does he definitely state 

 whether he believes discontinuous variations can 

 lead to the differentiation of new species without 

 the aid of natural selection, or whether such 

 varieties must be preserved in the struggle for life 

 just as the continuous variations of Darwin and 

 others must be. 



Again, like the rest of the objectors, Mr. Bateson 

 is infinitely more successful in finding the holes 

 which are sinking the barque of natural selection 

 than in his attempts at caulking them. We per- 

 force agree with him when he points out the 

 inconsistency of discontinuity of species existing 

 at present, and a belief in their continuous origin, 

 and when he emphasises the difficulty of supposing 

 that minute variations can be preserved by natural 

 selection, all the more readily because we have 

 felt the difficulties before. But when it comes to 

 the reconstructive parts, when we are asked to 

 believe that new species can be made out of 

 varieties which we have been taught to look 

 upon as freaks and monstrosities, we pause 

 and draw back. We cannot conceive how 

 it can be done, nor does Mr. Bateson help 

 us by suggesting any modus operandi. His position 

 seems to be : you have discontinuous variation, this* 

 must be in some way the origin of discontinuous 



