112 EVOLUTIONISTS OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 



preted the days of Genesis as so many gradual 

 periods or epochs, holding that the first period of 

 life was preceded by a universal Deluge, and that 

 the origin of life began with the gradual recession 

 of the sea from the earth. Here re-enters the 

 favourite Greek doctrine of pre-existing germs. 

 These germs were predetermined as to the forms 

 to w^hich they should give rise, but only those forms 

 developed to which the gradually changing envi- 

 ronment was favourable. Thus, the lower forms 

 of life appeared while the waters were still in ex- 

 cess, while, as the waters receded, higher and 

 higher forms arose. But the scene of develop- 

 ment was invariably the sea; the germs gave rise 

 to no land forms direct, but land forms were always 

 developed by transformation from marine forms. 

 Thus, all organisms were arranged in two series : 

 first, the aquatic and marine, springing directly 

 from the germs ; and second, the terrestrial and 

 aerial, arising by metamorphosis from the marine. 

 In these transformations De Maillet was not 

 embarrassed by the fixity of characters or by the 

 fact that no such metamorphoses had ever been 

 witnessed. Yet, we find buried in all this fiction 

 tw^o suggestions of theory. De Maillet claims 

 for the scientist the right to search into Nature 

 direct for her secrets. He finds in the world proofs 

 that the days of Genesis were great epochs of time, 

 and he suggests in his metamorphoses, absurd as 

 they are, the idea of the modification of organisms 



