5496 Zoology : its present Phasis 



ment with facts, for of these, thanks to Cuvier and the anatomical 

 school, we have some. We need scarcely caution our readers that, on 

 this subject, there can be nothing but hypotheses of the wildest cha- 

 racter, but we stand excused for discussing them, seeing that grave 

 men,* geometricians and mathematicians have not hesitated to put their 

 names to, or at least to publish extravagancies as wild and untenable 

 as ever came from the pen of Apulerius. Neglecting or despising the 

 sage advice of Comte, to confine their speculations to the earth we 

 inhabit, they have ventured on an ocean as vast as that into which 

 plunged, according to our divine Milton, the author of all our woes, in 

 virtue of which attempt, according to some, they are not unlikely to 

 reap the same reward — the contempt and horror of mankind. 



Spontaneous generation was hypothesis first. Aristotle admitted 

 three modes of generation, Harvey one: "Omne vivum ex ovo," was 

 his strong expression. But Aristotle's view extended even to our 

 days, to Burdach, for example, who admits spontaneity of generation 

 in certain fishes. It was whilst pursuing this inquiry that the extra- 

 ordinary facts were made out, that certain animals could only receive 

 their full development by being transported to different localities ; that 

 some, for example, remain in a vesicular or larva state in the tissue of 

 an animal until this animal be devoured by another, when, seeking 

 their way to the intestines of the animal, forming their new residence, 

 they become developed, acquiring at the same time forms which had 

 been long held to be perfectly independent beings, subject to no such 

 transformations A Belgian named Van Beneden claims justly the 

 chief merit in these remarkable discoveries ; but, notwithstanding their 

 brilliancy, they do not much advance the question of the formation of 

 beings; they rectify mistakes; they add another obstacle to the ad- 

 mission of the doctrine of spontaneous generation in any form — the 

 question of all others the most curious, the most profound : Leibnitz 

 cut the Gordian knot by referring the whole to a miracle, — in other 

 words, he adopted the Indian theory, the best and safest * his view led 

 to the hypothesis of the pre-existence of germs, ready formed, awaiting 

 but the circumstances necessary for their development. Admitting 

 the hypothesis, whence came the new species (unless we suppose that 

 all were formed at first) which filled the world after the destruction of 

 the old? The system was, notwithstanding, adopted by Bonnet and 

 Haller, but the latter placed the pre-existing germs in the female, 

 Leibnitz in the male. The immortal Cuvier himself leant to this 

 doctrine, when he condescended to speak of things which could not 

 be demonstrated. Does the following experiment throw any light 

 on this mysterious question ? " If a male jackal be united to a female 

 dog, the product is a being half-jackal, half-dog; take this mongrel 

 (metis) and mate it with a female dog; this time the product only re- 

 presents the fourth of a jackal. Again unite this mongrel (fourth 

 jackal) with a female dog; the product represents the eighth of a 



* 'On the Plurality of Worlds:' by Baden Powell. 'Are there more Worlds 

 than One?' By Sir D. Brewster. 



