Page - 335 - in The Origin of Species

THE LAPSE OF TIME 335 other. Hence, in all such cases, we should be unable to rec- ognise the parent-form of any two or more species, even if we closely compared the structure of the parent with that of its modified descendants, unless at the same time we had a nearly perfect chain of the intermediate links. It is just possible by the theory, that one of two living forms might have descended from the other; for instance, a horse from a tapir; and in this case direct intermediate links will have existed between them. But such a case would im- ply that one form had remained for a very long period unal- tered, whilst its descendants had undergone a vast amount of change ; and the principle of competition between organism and organism, between child and parent, will render this a very rare event ; for in all cases the new and improved forms of life tend to supplant the old and unimproved forms. By the theory of natural selection all living species have been connected with the parent-species of each genus, by dif- ferences not greater than we see between the natural and domestic varieties of the same species at the present day ; and these parent-species, now generally extinct, have in their turn been similarly connected with more ancient forms ; and so on backwards, always converging to the common ancestor of each great class. So that the number of intermediate and transitional links, between all living and extinct species, must have been inconceivably great. But assuredly, if this theory be true, such have lived upon the earth. ON THE LAPSE OF TIME, AS INFERRED FROM THE RATE OF DEPOSITION AND EXTENT OF DENUDATION Independently of our not finding fossil remains of such in- finitely numerous connecting links, it may be objected that time cannot have sufficed for so great an amount of organic change, all changes having been effected slowly. It is hardly possible for me to recall to the reader who is not a practical geologist, the facts leading the mind feebly to comprehend the lapse of time. He who can read Sir Charles Lyell's grand work on the Principles of Geology, which the future historian will recognise as having produced a revolution in natural science, and yet does not admit how vast have been the past