1 ^^ 5 *J Mr. Darwin's Masterpiece. 
cently insisted upon by Dr. W. B. Carpenter, there is barely 
a semblance. J 
It is no lepioach to the Var. under Dom. that it does not 
demonstrate Mr. Darwin’s doctrines; no more than if a 
structure consisting of spokes without fellies fails to aft as 
a w lee . 1 he question is, rather, Does it favour them? 
the answer is, By no means, unreservedly. First, as to 
inheritance. Many fafts related to show its force very 
doubtfully favour the view that idiosyncratic plasticity gives 
pi omise of exei ting sufficient power for Darwinian purposes. 
Numerous instances “ showing how feeble, capricious, or 
deficient the power of inheritance sometimes is ” are 
given, and numerous analogous fafts could be given ” (i., 
461). “ Many analogous fafts could be given ” (i. 464), &c., 
though many such are explicable (i., 470-72). 
It must be mentioned that Mr. Darwin concludes his 
summary (ii., 61) by expressing full confidence in the suc- 
cess of the enterprise, thus : — “ In these laws of Inherit- 
u ance we se e an ample provision for the produftion, 
through variability and natural seleftion, of new specific 
forms. 
Next, as to variation. The copious nature of unutilised 
data is again conspicuous, here in the treatment of faftors 
ancillary to the prime Darwinian one, namely, the indireft 
and indefinite aftion of changing conditions. We not only 
get evidence “showing that extremely slight differences, 
within the same country, or during different seasons, 
certainly produce an appreciable effeft, at least on varie- 
“ties in an unstable condition ” (ii., 262) ; are told that 
all hoi ticulturists aie unanimous that certain varieties are 
(( hefted by very slight differences in the nature of the 
(< artificial compost in which they are grown, and by the 
“ natural soil of the district, as well as by the season ” {ibid.), 
but learn that “ many similar fafts could be given ” (p. 264)’ 
and that “ the present chapters were written before I had 
“ read Mr. Herbert Spencer’s work, so that I have not been 
‘ able t0 make so much use of it as I should otherwise pro- 
“ bably have done ” (ii., 270). 
Further, Mr. Darwin is proud of his treatment of use and 
disuse (p. 176), occupying eight pages, a third thereof being 
printed in small type, while the seftion on changed and 
inherited habits of life announces that “ endless similar 
“ fafts could be given in the animal and vegetable king- 
“ doms ” (ii., 29). The summary notices that “ corporeal, 
periodical, and mental habits, though the latter have been 
“ almost passed over in this work, become changed under 
