Il6 THE DOCTRINE OF DESCENT. 



coquettish timidity from man and other animals. Finally, 

 when the creature arrives at the surface, it hops and 

 frisks, so that it carries on its existence erect, and even 

 moves to and fro on two feet with marvellous rapidity. 

 Transferred to completely dry land, we at last find the 

 decisive influence of the airy eminence and the all- 

 vivifying light. The animal is endowed with the greatest 

 ease of movement; it acts and works with consummate 

 skill, until a bird-like motion passes into an apparent 

 flight." 



Thus does Goethe elaborate the influence of environ- 

 ment and external conditions upon the modifications of 

 form; it is in vain to look for the actual forms that are 

 modified. The beaver is not transformed into the mouse- 

 like burrower, the mouse into the jumping mouse, nor 

 the jumping mouse into the squirrel, nor does the latter 

 become a jerboa; but the "ceaseless progressive trans- 

 formation " is perceptible only to the eye of the imagi- 

 nation. In reality, moreover, Goethe sees only adapta- 

 tion. Greatly as he is inclined to attribute modifications 

 to the effect of external conditions, he speaks with no 

 less decision on the contrary side. " The parts of the 

 animal, their relative form, their conditions, their special 

 characters, determine the requirements of the creatures' 

 existence;" and if within the restricted circle of forms, 

 we nevertheless find that infinite modifications of form 

 become possible (Sketch, 1796), this is only to be de- 

 duced from the individual species exhibited as modi- 

 fications of the archetype, by Nature, ever one and ever 

 creative. 



With the word Species, we reach the most important 

 point in our account of Goethe's theory of nature; if 



