264 LAMARCK, HIS LIFE AMD WORK 



come obliterated, and that the more often nature 

 leaves it at our disposal to establish distinctions only- 

 minute, and in some degree trivial peculiarities. 



" But some genera among animals and plants are of 

 such an extent, from the number of species they con- 

 tain, that the study and the determination of these 

 species are now almost impossible. The species of 

 these genera, arranged in series and placed together 

 according to their natural relations, present, with 

 those allied to them, differences so slight that they 

 shade into each other ; and because these species are 

 in some degree confounded with one another they 

 leave almost no means of determining, by expression 

 in words, the small differences which distinguish them. 



" There are also those who have been for a long time, 

 and strongly, occupied with the determination of the 

 species, and who have consulted rich collections, who 

 can understand up to what point species, among liv- 

 ing bodies, merge one into another {fondent Ics unes 

 dans les autres), and who have been able to convince 

 themselves, in the regions [parties] where we see 

 isolated species, that this is only because there are 

 wanting other species which are more nearly related, 

 and which we have not yet collected. 



" I do not mean to say by this that the existing 

 animals form a very simple series, one everywhere 

 equally graduated ; but I say that they form a 

 branching series, irregularly graduated, and which 

 has no discontinuity in its parts, or which at best has 

 not always had, if it is true that it is to be found any- 

 where {s'il est vrai qu'il sen trouve quelque part). It 

 results from this that the species which terminates 

 each branch of the general series holds a place at 

 least on one side apart from the other allied species 

 which intergrade with them. Behold this state of 

 things, so well known, which I am now compelled to 

 demonstrate. 



" I have no need {besoin) of any hypothesis or any 



