139 
Mar. 31, 1910. The Queensland Naturalist. 
been marked by the fixed and definite acquisition of some 
new character— an ^ expression point,’ as Cope termed it, 
which seems to have rendered possible, or, at least, been 
an essential accompaniment of a fresh outburst of devel- 
opmental energy.” 
58 —Dr. Smith Woodward, from whom I quote, in a 
masterly sketch of the history of Fishes, shows they had 
four such expression points, the acquisition of : 
1 . Paddle-like paired fins ; 
2. Shortened fin-bases, but persistent heterocercal 
tail ; 
3. Completed balancing fins and homocereal tail ; 
4. Completed internal skeleton. 
He proceeds in words so exactly expressing what I am 
endeavouring to inculcate, that I will quote him in place 
of using my own words : — 
“ When fossils are examined more closely, it is inter- 
esting to observe that the geological record is most incom- 
plete exactly at these critical points in the history of each 
race. There are abundant remains of the families and 
aenera which are definitely referable to one or other order 
or suborder ; but with them there are scarcely any of the 
links between these major divisions which might have 
been expected to occur. It must also be confessed that 
repeated discoveries have now left faint hope that exact 
and gradual links Avill ever be forthcoming between most 
of the families and genera. The ‘ imperfection of the 
record,’ of course, may still render some of the negative 
evidence untrustworthy ; but even approximate links 
would be much commoner in collections than they actually 
are if the doctrine of gradual evolution were correct. 
Palaeontology, indeed, is clearly in favour of the theory 
of discontinuous mutation, or advance by sudden changes, 
which has lately received so much support from the 
botanical experiments of H. de Vries.” 
60. What is true of fishes is true of all other groups. 
That theory is indeed feeble which relies upon the im- 
perfection of the geological record at every crucial stage ! 
61. Everywhere, also, we find great and sudden 
outbursts of developmental energy. Such, among many, 
are the sudden appearance of the Carboniferous flora and 
of dicotyledonous plants in the Cretaceous, of Dinosaurs 
and other Reptiles in the Trias, of Ammonites in the Jurassic, 
of Nummulites in the Eocene, of Mammalia at the same 
epoch, and of Marsupials in the Australian Pliocene. These 
are universal phenomena in time and space, great 
cosmic events — and not the slow creeping action demanded 
by’ Darwinians. 
