Page - 15 - in The Origin of Species

HISTORICAL SKETCH IS one by the other, it appears that this eminent philosopher felt in 1858 his confidence shaken that the Apteryx and the Red (Grouse first appeared in their respective homes, "he knew not how," or by some process "he knew not what." This Address was delivered after the papers by Mr. Wal- lace and myself on the Origin of Species, presently to be referred to, had been read before the Linnean Society. When the first edition of this work was published, I was so com- pletely deceived, as were many others, by such expressions as " the continuous operation of creative power," that I included Professor Owen with other palaeontologists as being firmly convinced of the immutability of species ; but it appears (' Anat. of Vertebrates,' vol. iii. p. 796) that this was on my part a preposterous error. In the last edition of this work I inferred, and the inference still seems to me perfectly just, from a passage beginning with the words " no doubt the type- form," &r. (Ibid. vol. i. p. XXXV.). that Professor Owen admitted that natural selection may have done something in the formation of a new species; but this it appears (Ibid. vol. iii. p. 798) is inaccurate and without evidence. I also gave some extracts from a correspondence between Professor Owen and the Editor of the *London Review,' from which it appeared manifest to the Editor as well as to myself, that Professor Owen claimed to have promulgated the theory of natural selection before I had done so; and I expressed my surprise and satisfaction at this announcement ; but as far as it is possible to understand certain recently published pas- sages (Ibid. vol. iii. p. 798) I have either partially or wholly again fallen into error. It is consolatory to me that others find Professor Owen's controversial writings as difficult to understand and to reconcile with each other, as I do. As far as the mere enunciation of the principle of natural selection is concerned, it is quite immaterial whether or not Professor Owen preceded me, for both of us, as shown in this histori- cal sketch, were long ago preceded by Dr. Wells and Mr. Matthews. M. Isidore Geofifroy Saint-Hilaire, in his lectures delivered in 1850 (of which a Resume appeared in the 'Revue et Mag. de Zoolog.,' Jan. 1851), briefly gives his reason for believing that specific characters "sont fixes, pour chaque cspcce, tant