LAMARCK'S PHILOSOPHICAL POSITION. 2$? 



over and above this a certain degree of reasoning 

 power, such as those creatures which have one system 

 for sensations and another for acts involving intelligence. 

 Instinct is with these last animals the motive power of 

 almost all their actions, and they rarely use what little 

 reason they have. Man, who comes next above them, 

 is also possessed of instincts which inspire some of his 

 actions, but he can acquire much reason, and can use it 

 so as to direct the greater part of his actions." * 



All this will be felt to be less satisfactory than the 

 simple directness of Dr. Darwin. It comes in great 

 measure from following Buffon without being en rapport 

 with him. On the other hand, Lamarck must be ad- 

 mitted to have elaborated the theory of " descent with 

 modification " with no less clearness than Dr. Darwin, 

 and with much greater fulness of detail. There is no 

 substantial difference between the points they wish to 

 establish ; Dr. Darwin has the advantage in that not 

 content with maintaining that there will be a power of 

 adaptation to the conditions of an animal's existence 

 which will determine its brganism, he goes on to say 

 what the principal conditions are, and shows more 

 lucidly than Lamarck has done (though Lamarck 

 adopts the same three causes in a passage which will 

 follow), that struggle, and consequently modification, 

 will be chiefly conversant about the means of sub- 

 sistence, of reproduction, and of self-protection. Never- 

 theless, though Dr. Darwin has said enough to show 

 that he had the whole thing clearly before him, and 

 could have elaborated it as finely as or better than 

 • 'Phil. Zool.,' vol. u. p. 110. 



