DARWIN'S CLAIM TO DESCENT. 199 



given on p. 134 of the English translation of Pro- 

 fessor Haeckel's " History of Creation," * and runs as 

 follows : — 



" In South America three classes of facts were 

 brought strongly before my mind. Firstly, the manner 

 in which closely allied species replace species in going 

 southward. Secondly, the close affinity of the species 

 inhabiting the islands near South America to those 

 proper to the continent. This struck me profoundly, 

 especially the difference of the species in the adjoining 

 islets in the Galapagos Archipelago. Thirdly, the 

 relation of the living Edentata and Rodentia to the 

 extinct species. I shall never forget my astonishment 

 when I dug out a gigantic piece of armour like that of 

 the living armadillo. 



" Reflecting on these facts, and collecting analogous 

 ones, it seemed to me probable that allied species 

 were descended from a common ancestor. But during 

 several years I could not conceive how each form could 

 have been modified so as to become admirably adapted 

 to its place in nature. I began, therefore, to study 

 domesticated animals and cultivated plants, and after 

 a time perceived that man's power of selecting and 

 breeding from certain individuals was the most power- 

 ful of all means in the production of new races. 

 Having attended to the habits of animals and their 

 relations to the surrounding conditions, I was able to 

 realise the severe struggle for existence to which all 

 organisms are subjected, and my geological observations 

 had allowed me to appreciate to a certain extent the 

 * H. S. King & Co., 1876. 



