“The Origin of Species” 187 
thetic,” “prophetic,” and “embryonic” types, and pointed out the 
parallelism which obtains between the geological succession of ancient 
animals and the ontogenetic development of recent forms. In 
Darwin’s words : “ This view accords admirably well with our theory.” 
Of similar import were Owen’s views on “generalised types” and 
“archetypes.” 
The appearance of The Origin of Species in 1859 revolutionised 
all the biological sciences. From the very nature of the case, Darwin 
was compelled to give careful consideration to the palaeontological 
evidence ; indeed, it was the palaeontology and modern distribution 
of animals in South America which first led him to reflect upon the 
great problem. In his own words: “I had been deeply impressed 
by discovering in the Pampean formation great fossil animals covered 
with armour like that on the existing armadillos; secondly, by the 
manner in which closely allied animals replace one another in pro- 
ceeding southward over the Continent; and thirdly, by the South 
American character of most of the productions of the Galapagos 
archipelago, and more especially by the manner in which they differ 
slightly on each island of the group” In the famous tenth and 
eleventh chapters of the Origin, the palaeontological evidence is 
examined at length and the imperfection of the geological record 
is strongly emphasised. The conclusion is reached, that, in view of 
this extreme imperfection, palaeontology could not reasonably be 
expected to yield complete and convincing proof of the evolutionary 
theory. “I look at the geological record as a history of the world 
imperfectly kept, and written in a changing dialect ; of this history 
we possess the last volume alone, relating only to two or three 
countries. Of this volume, only here and there a short chapter has 
been preserved ; and of each page, only here and there a few lines *” 
Yet, aside from these inevitable difficulties, he concludes, that “the 
other great leading facts in palaeontology agree admirably with the 
theory of descent with modification through variation and natural 
selection ‘.” 
Darwin's theory gave an entirely new significance and importance 
to palaeontology. Cuvier’s conception of the science had been a 
limited, though a lofty one. “How glorious it would be if we could 
arrange the organised products of the universe in their chronological 
order !.,.The chronological succession of organised forms, the exact 
determination of those types which appeared first, the simul- 
taneous origin of certain species and their gradual decay, would 
perhaps teach us as much about the mysteries of organisation as 
1 Origin of Species (6th edit.), p. 810. 
2 Life and Letters of Charles Darwin, 1. p. 82. 
3 Origin of Species, p. 289. 4 Ibid. p. 313. 
