168 THE FALLACIES OF NATURAL SELECTION. 



he should have shown, that the organic capital, lost 

 either a generation or two back, or thousands of 

 generations back, had been all regained ; and that the 

 favorable variations assumed, are net profit, to the 

 given species. This, it is impossible for him to do. 



We intend to show, in this work, by Darwin's own 

 organic profit and loss account, contained in the books, 

 entered up by himself, that there is not a single instance 

 of profit (z. e. variation or improvement) adduced by him, 

 which is net profit; and, conversely, that every positive 

 variation or improvement, which he presents, is but 

 gross profit, or mere regain of organic capital, once lost 

 by the given species. We have heretofore shown, only, 

 that all of the variations are explicable upon this sup- 

 position, and inexplicable, scientifically, upon any other. 

 We shall, however, demonstrate that they are but the 

 regain of capital once lost, under nature. We shall 

 demonstrate that each individual is ruined or impaired, 

 in constitution and in fertility, in proportion as it falls 

 short of the original, organic capital of its species. We 

 shall show, that not a single individual has, by means 

 of variation, ever made any net organic gain, relatively 

 to the amount of organic capital with which its species 

 once, originally started; but that, in proportion as it 

 has retrieved what it once lost, is it normal in health, 

 constitutional vigor, and fertility; and we shall point 

 out the individuals, and the different species, which, 

 either, have had but small losses under nature, or 

 having had great losses, have, in a great measure, 

 recovered them; and contrast their health, constitu- 

 tional vigor and fertility, with the respective degrees, 



