, 1877-11-24

NWl'l NJ'''l-lUt' 'VHOIbl VI htIcNIiNN lHt
influence Of environment, the modelling
10y adnptation-public attention failed to
he drawn to il until 1874, when there
was published in England an anonymous
book, under the title Of "Nestges Of the
Natural History of Crcation' In this
the author set forth Lamarck's views,
and the work, being clearly and attrNc.
lively composed. passed through great
many editions Very fortunately, it may
be said, it accepted some unsuhstantiatcd
facts, and contained some physical mis-
takes. These tempted many skilliul and
bitter criticisms of hostile thcologmns.
The reviews and journals were filled with
these attacks and answers to them. Thus
happily, the whole subject was brought
into such prominen Ce that it
could be with drawn into
obscurty no more. In the discussions
OF this book the author made use of Il
most important anatomical discovery,
that even in the case OF thchighcst species
man himself, the embryo does not simply
grow or increase in size, but passes in
succession through II series OF forms,
which, examined from epoch to epoch,
are totally dISsimiMr 1t had been the
vulgar opinion that after the first moment
OF conception, all the parts OF the animal
that is TO be are present, and that they
simply grow. The human embryo,
according to this, reaches birth very
much in the sane way that the child
passes from birth to manhood. That
was, say the vulgar opinion; but lay
ing before our eyes the development Of
the individual, God has given us Il rcva-
Mtinn of the course Of life of the world.
The evolution history of animals cstab-
fishes that there is not the homogeneous
ness Of development, but that the higher
pass through the forms Of the lower; :;
that the mammal, for instance, passes
through stages ut which the lower verte-
hrates remain fixed. All ARE therefore
pursuing a journey along the same road,
though some may travel to longer,
some to shorter distance. There is a
paralelism between individual and race
development, close connection between
the phases of development in the individ
ual and in she species.
DARwIN's ORIGIN OF SPECIES.
In the year 1859 there was published
by Mr.. Darwin work on The Origin
of Species by Means of Natural Selec
ton; or, the Preservation of Favored
Races in the Struggle for Life" In this,
and in other subsequent works, it is
shown that the individuals of each spe-
cics tend to increase in very rapid
ratio; an increase more rapid than their
means of subsistence. Each has, there
tore to contend with his competitors, and
hence all must exhibit n "struggle for
existance." But notifications are inces,
sanity taking place in the form and
characteristics OF individuals, giving to
to some Il disadvantage, as compared
with their competitors. Hence the for
mer will prevail, and the latter will sue.
cumb in the struggle. This, in the Ian
guage Of the hypothesis, is formulated
as "the survival Of the fittest." Oar.
winism, therefore, does not touch the
great question us to the manner in which
variation of organisms arises. 1t only
teaches how such variations are prrpet.
uated.
The publication of IIumboldt's essay
on the Geography OF Pants' (1S05)
first formally drew the attention Of nat,
uralists to the connection between the
distribution of plants and the distIibu-
ton of heat on the surface of the earth
As an advance Is nade in either hemi,-
sphere from the equator towards the
pole, this mean annual temperature de.
clines, and, in succession, series Of veg.
etable zones is passed through. 1t be.
gins with the palms Of the tropics, and
ends with the red snow algn of the polar
region. A similar series of facts hal
long previously been observed by Tourne.
tort on Mount Ararat. The dstribu,
ton of vegetation from the base to the
suow-line ofany mountain bears gene
raj resemblance to the distribution from