THE NEWPORT LABORATORY 163 



scendants after countless generations, and this explains 

 the extraordinary complicated affinities of existing 

 groups.' 



"This idea seems to me to throw a flood of light on 

 the lines, sometimes used to represent affinities, which 

 radiate in all directions often to very distant sub-groups 

 — a difficulty which has haunted me for half a century. 

 A strong case could be made out in favor of believing 

 in such reversion or atavism after immense intervals of 

 time. I wish the idea had been put into my head in old 

 days, for I shall never again write on difficult subjects." 



Agassiz's attitude about this time toward evolution is 

 perhaps best shown in the following extracts from a 

 letter to his uncle Alex Braun : — 



" I must frankly acknowledge that my leaning is to- 

 wards evolution with general sense, but as to swallow- 

 ing all that the Darwinists and extreme Haeckelists wish 

 us to take down, I have not the least idea of doing 

 that. I don't know that my position is of any particular 

 value, but I am claimed equally by the extreme evolution- 

 ist and the most ardent Cuvierian, so that I must have 

 expressed myself much like the Delphian oracles to suit 

 all parties so well." 



And again in speaking of Karl von Baer : — 



" The account he gives and the estimate he makes of 

 his own work is capital, and I hope the whole article 

 will have a wide circulation. It will do much to kill the 

 present mania for extremes, and will I hope lead the 

 younger men who are indulging in such high flights to 



