PT. rri. OR POISONED BY VEGETABLE GROWTH ? 143 



from different physical conditions — and that man him- 

 self is merely the final result of these manifold changes 

 from the zoophyte upwards. But the Great Artificer 

 authoritatively and absolutely contradicts all this by 

 having, possibly from all time, and apparently succes- 

 sively^ and at distinct times, and in comparatively 

 modern times, created distinct existences or species, and 

 kept these distinct species separate under precisely 

 similar physical conditions. This is the case with 

 animals, vegetables, birds, reptiles, insects, fish, shell 

 animals, and zoophytes, whether any of all these named 

 are terrestrial, or aquatic, or amphibious, or pecuhar to 

 fresh, brackish, or salt water. And not only is this so 

 now, but apparently through an indefinite number of 

 ages the terraqueous globe has been thus gradually and 

 in succession stocked ar d restocked with species entirely 

 distinct fi:om those existing in this or in any two of the 

 different periods. Indeed, supposing species to have 

 originated from single stocks, the creation of existing 

 species could not have been simultaneous. Had it been 

 simultaneous, all animals, herbivorous or carnivorous, 

 must have fasted or have destroyed whole species at a 

 mouthful. Creation must have been successive as far 

 as this. Plants must have multiplied before herbivorous 

 animals were turned among them, and herbivorous 

 animals before carnivorous animals were allowed to 

 prey on them. 



From the arctic to the tropical regions a wonderful 

 variety of physical conditions exists, and an equally 



