i 8 yg.] Is Organic Variation Fortuitous 7 351 
Evolution proves the agency of an Intelligent Power, acting 
through and controlling the unintelligent forces of Habit and 
Variation, just as all the vital forces aCt through and control 
the inorganic ones.” 
But though thus differing from Mr. Darwin on a funda- 
mental point, our author never attempts to undervalue his 
high authority and the services he has rendered to Natural 
Science. Such a passage as the following stands by no 
means singly in the present work : — “ Much is to be said for 
this theory, as for everything that Darwin has ever pro- 
posed.” Nor have we any imputation of motives. In this 
respeCt Mr. Murphy stands out in contrast, not merely 
to a number of lesser luminaries, but to a most dis- 
tinguished biologist whose views on the Darwinian question 
in many points approximate to his own. In further contra- 
distinction to certain writers on Evolution the author is not 
a mere man of culture — an outsider who has “ read up ” the 
subjedt, and who then assumes to teach when scarcely qua- 
lified to be a learner. On the contrary, he tells us that for 
ten years he has been thinking, reading, and conversing on 
the subjects discussed in this volume, and after a careful 
examination we see every reason to accept his avowal. Of 
one of the non-biological critics of Darwinism Mr. Murphy 
indeed speaks, in our opinion, too favourably. Referring to 
a somewhat over-rated article in the “North British Review ” 
(June, 1867) he writes — “ This is a good instance of the 
service that an able man may do to a science which is not 
his own, and of which he does not know the details.” Yet 
in an earlier passage of his work he quotes from the very 
same article an objection against Evolution almost childish 
in its character, and based on utter ignorance of the subject 
under discussion. Concerning this argument Mr. Murphy 
very justly remarks that it is “one which could not have 
occurred to a naturalist.” 
The grounds advanced against the sufficiency of Natural 
Selection, to account for the origin and characteristics of 
species, vary greatly in their value. One of the most 
weighty, recently insisted upon in the “ Quarterly Journal of 
Science ” (vol. viii., p. 453), must be sought in the fortuitous 
destruction which takes place among young animals, quite 
irrespective of their greater or less “ fitness ” for survival. 
Such destruction is fully admitted by Mr. Darwin himself. 
This difficulty, together with that pointed out by Prof. Tait, 
may be summarised as follows -“ The final establishment 
of the superior type is dependent at each step upon three 
accidents. First, the accident of an individual sort or 
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