32 FIFTY YEARS OF DARWINISM 



produced something of the same bitterness as 

 Owen and for a similar reason. Thus Darwin 

 wrote ^ to Hooker, September 16, 1871, as fol- 

 lows : — 



" You never read such strong letters Mivart wrote 

 to me about respect towards me, begging that I would 

 call on him, etc., etc. ; yet in the Q. Review [July, 1871] 

 he shows the greatest scorn and animosity towards 

 me, and with uncommon cleverness says all that is most 

 disagreeable. He makes me the most arrogant, odious 

 beast that ever lived. I can not understand him; I 

 suppose that accursed religious bigotry is at the root 

 of it. Of course he is quite at liberty to scorn and 

 hate me, but why take such trouble to express something 

 more than friendship? It has mortified me a good 

 deal." 



On other occasions at a much later date I have 

 myself observed that there was something pecu- 

 liar about the poise of Mivart's mind, which 

 seemed ever inclined to pass with abrupt transi- 

 tion from the extreme of an unnecessary effusive- 

 ness to an unnecessarily extreme antagonism. 



Mivart's attack, contained in his book The 

 Genesis of Species^ was effectively dealt with 

 by Chauncey Wright in the North American 

 Review for July, 1871. Darwin was so pleased 

 with this defense that he obtained the author's 

 permission for an English reprint,^ and with fur- 

 ther additions it was published as a pamphlet by 



' More Letters, I, p. 333. See also Life and Letters, III, 

 p. 147. 



' The pamphlet was published at Darwin's expense. For his 

 keenly appreciative letter to the author see Life and Letters, 

 III, p. 145. 



