DARWIN AND DESCENT. 20; 



■am capable, that the view which most naturalists enter- 

 tain, and which I formerly entertained — namely, that 

 each species has been independently created — is erroneous. 

 I am fully convinced that species are not immutalile, 

 but that those belonging to what are called the same 

 genera are lineal descendants of some other and 

 generally extinct species, in the same manner as the 

 acknowledged varieties of any one species are the 

 descendants of that species. Furthermore, I am con- 

 vinced that natural selection" (or the preservation 

 of fortunate races) " has been the main but not exclu- 

 sive means of modification " (p, 6). 



It is not here expressly stated that the theory of 

 the mutability of species is Mr. Darwin's own ; this, 

 nevertheless, is the inference which the great majority 

 of his readers were likely to draw, and did draw, from. 

 Mr. Darwin's words. 



Again : — 



" It is not that all large genera are now vary- 

 ing much, and are thus increasing ia the number 

 of their species, or that no small genera are now 

 multiplying and increasing ; for if this had been so it 

 would have been fatal to my theory; inasmuch as 

 geology," &c. (p. 56). 



The words " my theory '' stand in all the editions. 



Again : — 



" This relation has a clear meaning on my view ot 

 the subject ; I look upon all the species of any genus 

 as having as certainly descended from the same pro- 

 genitor, as have the two sexes of any one of the 

 species" (p. 157). 



