go Evolution and Adaptation 
very much alike, it would soon be impossible to say what, 
the parentage of a particular form was; that is, to which of 
the two original forms it belonged. It has also been sug- 
gested that even a convergence has at times taken place, so 
. that the descendants of different species have become more 
alike than the original forms, at least im some one or more re- 
spects. This last limitation is the saving clause, for species 
differ in so many points that, even when they converge in a 
few, it is unlikely that they will do so in all, and, therefore, 
the deception may be discovered by the acute observer. One 
famous paleontologist has gone so far even as to suppose that 
a species may change its generic characters, so that it goes 
over bodily into a new genus without losing its specific char- 
acters. If such things do occur, then our classifications may 
well be the laughing-stock of Nature. 
