1 



244 



BOOK III. 



+ 



CHANGES OF THE OEGANIC WOELD NOW IN PEOGRESS 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 



LAMAKCK ON THE TRANSMUTATION OF SPECIES. 



DIVISION OF THE SUBJECT EXAMINATION OF THE QUESTION, "S^'HETHER 



SPECIES HAVE A REAL EXISTENCE IN NATURE ? IMPORTANCE OF THIS QUES- 

 TION IN GEOLOGY SKETCH OF LAMARCKl's ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF THE 



TRANSMUTATION OF SPECIES, AND HIS CONJECTURES RESPECTING THE ORIGIN 

 OF EXISTING ANIMALS AND PLANTS- — HIS THEORY OF THE TRANSFORMATION 

 OF THE ORANG-OUTANG INTO THE HUMAN SPECIES. 



Hitherto we liave been occupied^ from Chap. XY. to Chap, 



.^ witli the consideration of the changes brought 

 about on the earth's surface, within the period of human ob- 

 servation, by inorganic agents ; such, for example, as rivers, 

 marine currents, volcanos, and earthquakes. But there is 

 another class of phenomena relating to the organic world, 

 which have an equal claim on our attention, if we desire to 

 obtain possession of all the preparatory knowledge respecting 



the existing course of nature, which may be available in the 

 interpretation of geological monuments. It appeared from 

 our preliminary sketch of the progress of the science, that 

 the most lively interest was excited among its earlier culti- 

 vators, by the discovery of the remains of animals and plants 

 in the interior of mountains frequently remote from the sea. 

 Much controversy arose respecting the nature of these 

 remains, the causes which may have brought them into so 

 singular a position, and the want of a specific agreement 

 between them and known animals and plants. To qualify 

 ourselves to form just views on these curious questions, we 

 must first study the present condition of the animate creation 

 on the globe. 







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