1857-59 SEDGWICK'S OPINION 95 



spread abroad in England the perception that 

 a deep significance underlies the structure of 

 animals — a significance for which no stress or 

 strain and no influence of heredity, and certainly 

 no mere practical utility, can account. The tem- 

 porary overclouding of this perception through 

 the retrograde influence of Darwin's hypothesis 

 of " Natural Selection " is now slowly but surely 

 beginning to pass away, for which no small thanks 

 are due to the efforts of his zealous disciples, 

 Professors Weismann and Romanes. It would be 

 out of place to trouble readers with a re-statement 

 of simple facts. 8 . . . We will confine ourselves to 

 once more repeating that homologies for which 

 neither heredity nor utility will account reveal 

 themselves in the limbs of chelonians, birds, beasts, 

 and most notably in those of man.' 



On the subject of the origin of species, Owen 

 received the following letter from Sedgwick 

 dated ' Cambridge, Friday morning : ' — 



'My dear Owen, — . . . There are many 

 things I want to talk to you about — about 

 Darwin's book, &c, &c. Though the published 

 letter contains an outline of my objection to the 

 theory, yet 'tis a mere sketch written without a 

 shadow of a thought that the editor would send 

 it to the Press ; but on seeing it in print I liked 

 it far better than I expected, and there is not now 



8 Readers interested in such questions may be referred to Proc. 

 Z00L Soc.y 1884, p. 462. 



