282 
earth, and if such do exist, we ought to find, — I do not say all, — but 
certainly many, or at least some of these. So far as regards the pre- 
sent age, Mr Darwin apologises for the absence of such intermediate 
forms, by supposing migrations to have taken place over large contin- 
uous areas, and the links to have been lost in the intermediate districts 
from unsuitableness of condition, or from geological changes having 
submerged certain districts, when, of course, the links existing here 
would be lost, and concludes a very specious and plausible argument 
on this head thus : — “ Lastly, looking not to any one time, but to 
all time, if my theory be true, numberless intermediate varieties, 
linking most closely all the species of the same group together, must 
assuredly have existed ; but the very process of natural selection 
constantly tends to exterminate the parent forms and the interme- 
diate links, consequently evidence of their former existence could be 
found only amongst fossil remains” (pp. 177-9). Now, so far as 
these explanations are merely an answer to the question, Why we 
do not find such intermediate passages in any one particular portion 
of the globed they might be accepted as an apology for their absence ; 
but when applied to the whole of it, and to such myriads of creatures 
as inhabit it, it seems beyond all reasonable application of the 
doctrine of chances to accept it as a sufficient or even probable 
explanation. The very essence of the new theory is gradual pas- 
sage, and slow descent by natural generation and inheritance— the 
parent species and the incipient species both subsisting at the same 
time, and the process of substitution being gradual and protracted. 
Mr Darwin’s own map of divergence, and the whole of his reasoning 
go to show how parent forms, and descendant and collateral forms, 
may all subsist and be going on in different localities and climates 
at the same time. It will not therefore do to say that the new 
varieties developed by natural selection “ continually take the place 
of, and exterminate their parent forms,” and so prevent the' occur- 
rence of innumerable intermediate links everywhere throughout na- 
ture, But supposing that, for the sake of argument, we allow this 
apology for the moment, at least it can only apply to the present age of 
nature, or to some one definite period — it cannot also apply to past ages, 
or to any two or more consecutive ages ; and Mr Darwin, as we have 
just seen, admits that “ evidence of their former existence should be 
found amongst fossil remains” (p, 280). Are fossil remains of these 
then found \ Is there any evidence in support of this to be drawn from 
