196 I.UCK, OR CUNNING? 



relations, their geographical distribution, geological 

 succession, and other such facts, might come to the 

 conclusion that each species had not been inde- 

 pendently created, but had descended like varieties 

 from other species." 



It will be observed that not only is no hint given 

 here that descent with modification was a theory 

 which, though unknown to the general public, had been 

 occupying the attention of biologists for a hundred 

 years and more, but it is distinctly implied that this 

 was not the case. When Mr. Darwin said it was 

 " conceivable that a naturalist might " arrive at the 

 theory of descent, straightforward readers took him to 

 mean that though this was conceivable, it had never, 

 to Mr. Darwin's knowledge, been done. If we had a 

 notion that we had already vaguely heard of the theory 

 that men and the lower animals were descended from 

 common ancestors, we must have been wrong ; it was 

 not this that we had heard of, but something else, 

 which, though doubtless a little like it, was all wrong, 

 whereas this was obviously going to be all right. 



To follow the rest of the paragraph with the close- 

 ness that it merits would be a task at once so long 

 and so unpleasant that I will omit further reference to 

 any part of it except the last sentence. That sentence 

 runs : — 



" In the case of the mistletoe, which draws its 

 nourishment from certain trees, which has seeds that 

 must be transported by certain birds, and which has 

 flowers with separate sexes absolutely requiring the 

 agency of certain insects to bring pollen from one 



