V. VARIETIES, ETC, oT 
equilibrium in the number of species by their compensating 
balance of action. On present evidence, it might be unsafe to say 
that any one new species would ever actually be formed by gradual 
convergences of variation from numerous other species. The 
tendency of convergence, as seen at present, may rather be said to 
operate by check or counterpoise against the limitless results of 
unbalanced divergence endlessly in action. Still, there are not 
wanting facts which at least suggest the possibility, that indi- 
viduals of two closely allied species may converge into an inter- 
mediate species, by divergences from their own stocks, and 
without the intermediate being necessarily a return towards any 
more remote ancestor, from which those two had themselves 
originated by accumulated divergences. There is a tendency 
among botanists to use the adjective “ intermedia” as a specific or 
varietal name, because many plants do appear like intermediates, 
* uncertainly assignable to either of the two allied species. But 
botanists have never supposed that the two species had developed 
out of the ‘intermedia’ by divergent variations therefrom ‘ natu- 
rally selected.’ On the contrary, the name “ hybrida” is now 
often substituted instead of ‘* intermedia,” 
that the intermediate has originated from the two species, and not 
itself given origin to both or to either of them. 
It seems curious that Mr. Darwin should have failed to see, 
and have refused to admit when shown, that some such hypothesis 
as this one of convergence— indeed, the expression of actual facts 
which are continually in occurrence—would have saved his theory 
from the supposed necessity of tracing backwards all the past and 
present species into and out of scarcely half a score, completed 
somehow, without a beginning for themselves,—without stocks to 
diverge from in their turn, — without any aid from “ Natural 
Selection” itself. To step farther back, from this short half-score 
into one solitary species, cannot mend the matter. In this respect, 
the theory is too much like the sage explanation of the Earth 
on an Elephant;—the Elephant on a Tortoise ; -—the Tortoise 
clearly showing a belief 
Oil aac? 
