•66 lUCK, OR CUNNING? 



species. . . ." What, then, becomes" of Mr. Darwin's 

 most famous work, which was written expressly to 

 establish natural selection as the main means of 

 (Organic modification? "The new factor which Mr. 

 Eomanes suggests," continues the Times, "is that at 

 a certain stage of development of varieties in a state 

 of nature a change takes place in their reproduc- 

 tive systems, rendering those which differ in some 

 -particulars mutually infertile, and thus the formation 

 of new permanent species takes place without the 

 swamping effect of free intercrossing. . . . How his 

 theory can be properly termed one of selection he 

 fails to make clear. If correct, it is a law or principle 

 of operation rather than a process of selection. It 

 has been objected to Mr. Eomanes' theory that it is the 

 re-statement of a fact. This objection is less important 

 than the lack of facts in support of .the theory." The 

 Times, however, implies it as its opinion that the 

 required facts will be forthcoming by and by, and that 

 when they have been found Mr. Eomanes' suggestion 

 will constitute "the most important addition to the 

 theory of evolution since the publication of the ' Origin 

 of Species.'" Considering that the Times has just 

 implied the main thesis of the " Origin of Species " to 

 be one which does not stand examination, this is rather 

 a doubtful compliment. 



Neither Mr. Eomanes nor the writer in the Times 

 appear to perceive that the results which may or may 

 not be supposed to ensue on choice depend upon what 

 it is that is supposed to be chosen from ; they do not 

 appear to see that though the expression natiiral 



