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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLIII 



as leading to permanent modifications of structure independently 

 of natural selection. But as my conclusions have lately been much 

 misrepresented, and it has been stated that I attribute the modifica- 

 tion of species exclusively to natural selection, I may be permitted 

 to remark that in the first edition of this work, and subsequently, I 

 placed in a most conspicuous position — namely, at the close of the In- 

 troduction — the following words : "I am convinced that natural selec- 

 tion has been the main but not the exclusive means of modification." 

 This has been of no avail. Great is the power of steady misrepresenta- 

 tion; but the history of science shows that this power does not long 

 endure. 33 



The sting of this vehement declaration is in the under- 

 lying implication that the limitation placed upon the 

 applicability of natural selection was deemed necessary 

 because of Mr. Darwin's inability to free his mind from 

 the belief that it could not act upon large and sudden 

 variations as well as upon small and unimportant ones. 

 This point of view seems illogical when we consider his 

 repeated declaration that no qualitative distinction could 

 be established between the two kinds of variation, but it 

 may he partially accounted for by the fact that a slight 

 confusion at times existed in his mind concerning the 

 general modus operandi of natural selection, through 

 which he attributed to it a causal power as well as a mere 

 sifting effect. Both Lyell and Wallace took him to task 

 for this double use of the term and, therefore, in the third 

 edition of "the Origin" he attempted to clear up this 

 point by means of this statement: 



writers have misapprehended or objected to the term natural 

 Some. have even imagined that natural selection even induces 



Nevertheless, almost side by side with this explana- 

 tion we find in the last edition of "the Origin," the fol- 

 lowing sentences which were allowed to come down from 



