CHAPTER XXII 



THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES 



This chapter deals with the origin of sub-species within 

 the different classes or fundamental Species of living Con- 

 tinuity. The latter question has already been considered, 

 and the conclusion has been suggested that the fundamental 

 Species did not originate through any process of Natural 

 Selection in the Darwinian sense, but was a matter of 

 direct modification during development, at the hands of 

 Environment ; a process of repeated compression, assisted 

 by the factor of Segregation in its various forms. And we 

 would likewise attribute the origination of sub-species to 

 the same fundamental cause, namely, environmental action. 

 Each new type of living Continuity first appeared as an 

 acquired variation from established plan, and it is our belief 

 that sub-species have originated in the same manner. 



It must be emphasised that the variation to which we 

 would attribute the origin of sub-species was not " from 

 whatever cause arising " (Darwin), but was acquired ; 

 acquired from Environment. And the acquisition must 

 have been sudden. Natura non facit saltum is clearly untrue, 

 as the gaps between the successive Continuity-types show, 

 and it is difficult not to believe that any variation con- 

 cerned in the origination of sub-species must have been 

 suddenly acquired or imposed. Thus, if we were to accept 

 Darwin's supposition of slow and gradual change during 

 great stretches of time, it would only be in the sense that 

 the final result had been gradually attained as the sum of 

 very many suddenly acquired variations imposed at intervals. 



At the present day Darwin's theory of Natural Selec- 

 tion, although not wholly satisfactory, holds the field, and 

 its only rival may be said to be the Mutation Theory of 

 De Vries. 



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