284 RELIGION. 



amusement, he does not know what to answer ; and if he, of 

 any one, admits [that] these variations are accidental, as far 

 as purpose is concerned (of course not accidental as to their 

 cause or origin) ; then I can see no reason why he should 

 rank the accumulated variations by which the beautifully 

 adapted woodpecker has been formed, as providentially de- 

 signed. For it would be easy to imagine the enlarged crop 

 of the pouter, or tail of the fantail, as of some use to birds, 

 in a state of nature, having peculiar habits of life. These 

 are the considerations which perplex me about design ; but 



whether you will care to hear them, I know not. 



* % * ■& * 



[On the subject of design, he wrote (July i860) to Dr. Gray : 

 "One word more on ' designed laws' and ' undesigned 

 results.' I see a bird which I want for food, take my gun 

 and kill it, I do this designedly. An innocent and good man 

 stands under a tree and is killed by a flash of lightning. Do 

 you believe (and I really should like to hear) that God de- 

 signedly killed this man ? Many or most persons do believe 

 this ; I can't and don't. If you believe so, do you believe 

 that when a swallow snaps up a gnat that God designed that 

 that particular swallow should snap up that particular gnat 

 at that particular instant ? I believe that the man and the 

 gnat are in the same predicament. If the death of neither 

 man nor gnat are designed, I see no good reason to believe 

 that their first birth or production should be necessarily de- 

 signed."] 



C. Darwin to IV. Graham. 



Down, July 3rd, 18S1. 



Dear Sir, 



I hope that you will not think it intrusive on my part to 

 thank you heartily for the pleasure which I have derived 

 from reading your admirably written ' Creed of Science,' 

 though I have not yet quite finished it, as now that I am old 

 I read very slowly. It is a very long time since any other 

 book has interested me so much. The work must have cost 

 you several years and much hard labour with full leisure for 



