glaucus-第13章

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gills；　free　from　the　surrounding　sand。〃　　Moreover；　it　is　only　the　

male　who　has　those　strangely　long　fore…arms　and　claws；　the　female　

contenting　herself　with　limbs　of　a　more　moderate　length。　　Neither　

is　that；　though　it　might　be；　the　hole　down　which　what　we　seek　has　

vanished：　　but　that　burrow　contains　one　of　the　long　white　razors　

which　you　saw　cast　on　shore　at　Paignton。　　The　boys　close　by　are　

boring　for　them　with　iron　rods　armed　with　a　screw；　and　taking　them　

in　to　sell　in　Torquay　market；　as　excellent　food。　　But　there　is　one；　

at　last　…　a　grey　disc　pouting　up　through　the　sand。　　Touch　it；　and　

it　is　gone　down；　quick　as　light。　　We　must　dig　it　out；　and　

carefully；　for　it　is　a　delicate　monster。　　At　last；　after　ten　

minutes'　careful　work；　we　have　brought　up；　from　a　foot　depth　or　

more　…　what？　　A　thick；　dirty；　slimy　worm；　without　head　or　tail；　

form　or　colour。　　A　slug　has　more　artistic　beauty　about　him。　　Be　it　

so。　　At　home　in　the　aquarium　（where；　alas！　he　will　live　but　for　a　

day　or　two；　under　the　new　irritation　of　light）　he　will　make　a　very　

different　figure。　　That　is　one　of　the　rarest　of　British　sea…

animals；　Peachia　hastata　（Pl。　XII。　Fig。　1）；　which　differs　from　most　

other　British　Actiniae　in　this；　that　instead　of　having　like　them　a　

walking　disc；　it　has　a　free　open　lower　end；　with　which　（I　know　not　

how）　it　buries　itself　upright　in　the　sand；　with　its　mouth　just　

above　the　surface。　　The　figure　on　the　left　of　the　plate　represents　

a　curious　cluster　of　papillae　which　project　from　one　side　of　the　

mouth；　and　are　the　opening　of　the　oviduct。　　But　his　value　consists；　

not　merely　in　his　beauty　（though　that；　really；　is　not　small）；　but　

in　his　belonging　to　what　the　long　word…makers　call　an　

〃interosculant〃　group；　…　a　party　of　genera　and　species　which　

connect　families　scientifically　far　apart；　filling　up　a　fresh　link　

in　the　great　chain；　or　rather　the　great　network；　of　zoological　

classification。　　For　here　we　have　a　simple；　and；　as　it　were；　crude　

form；　of　which；　if　we　dared　to　indulge　in　reveries；　we　might　say　

that　the　Creative　Mind　realized　it　before　either　Actiniae　or　

Holothurians；　and　then　went　on　to　perfect　the　idea　contained　in　it　

in　two　different　directions；　dividing　it　into　two　different　

families；　and　making　on　its　model；　by　adding　new　organs；　and　taking　

away　old　ones；　in　one　direction　the　whole　family　of　Actiniae　（sea…

anemones）；　and　in　a　quite　opposite　one　the　Holothuriae；　those　

strange　sea…cucumbers；　with　their　mouth…fringe　of　feathery　gills；　

of　which　you　shall　see　some　anon。　　Thus　there　has　been；　in　the　

Creative　Mind；　as　it　gave　life　to　new　species；　a　development　of　the　

idea　on　which　older　species　were　created；　in　order　…　we　may　fancy　…　

that　every　mesh　of　the　great　net　might　gradually　be　supplied；　and　

there　should　be　no　gaps　in　the　perfect　variety　of　Nature's　forms。　　

This　development　is　one　which　we　must　believe　to　be　at　least　

possible；　if　we　allow　that　a　Mind　presides　over　the　universe；　and　

not　a　mere　brute　necessity；　a　Law　（absurd　misnomer）　without　a　

Lawgiver；　and　to　it　（strangely　enough　coinciding　here　and　there　

with　the　Platonic　doctrine　of　Eternal　Ideas　existing　in　the　Divine　

Mind）　all　fresh　inductive　discovery　seems　to　point　more　and　more。



Let　me　speak　freely　a　few　words　on　this　important　matter。　　Geology　

has　disproved　the　old　popular　belief　that　the　universe　was　brought　

into　being　as　it　now　exists　by　a　single　fiat。　　We　know　that　the　

work　has　been　gradual；　that　the　earth





〃In　tracts　of　fluent　heat　began；

The　seeming　prey　of　cyclic　storms；

The　home　of　seeming　random　forms；

Till；　at　the　last；　arose　the　man。〃





And　we　know；　also；　that　these　forms；　〃seeming　random〃　as　they　are；　

have　appeared　according　to　a　law　which；　as　far　as　we　can　judge；　has　

been　on　the　whole　one　of　progress；　…　lower　animals　（though　we　

cannot　yet　say；　the　lowest）　appearing　first；　and　man；　the　highest　

mammal；　〃the　roof　and　crown　of　things；〃　one　of　the　latest　in　the　

series。　　We　have　no　more　right；　let　it　be　observed；　to　say　that　

man；　the　highest；　appeared　last；　than　that　the　lowest　appeared　

first。　　It　was　probably　so；　in　both　cases；　but　there　is　as　yet　no　

positive　proof　of　either；　and　as　we　know　that　species　of　animals　

lower　than　those　which　already　existed　appeared　again　and　again　

during　the　various　eras；　so　it　is　quite　possible　that　they　may　be　

appearing　now；　and　may　appear　hereafter：　　and　that　for　every　

extinct　Dodo　or　Moa；　a　new　species　may　be　created；　to　keep　up　the　

equilibrium　of　the　whole。　　This　is　but　a　surmise：　　but　it　may　be　

wise；　perhaps；　just　now；　to　confess　boldly；　even　to　insist　on；　its　

possibility；　lest　any　should　fancy；　from　our　unwillingness　to　allow　

it；　that　there　would　be　ought　in　it；　if　proved；　contrary　to　sound　

religion。



I　am；　I　must　honestly　confess；　more　and　more　unable　to　perceive　

anything　which　an　orthodox　Christian　may　not　hold；　in　those　

physical　theories　of　〃evolution；〃　which　are　gaining　more　and　more　

the　assent　of　our　best　zoologists　and　botanists。　　All　that　they　ask　

us　to　believe　is；　that　〃species〃　and　〃families；〃　and　indeed　the　

whole　of　organic　nature；　have　gone　through；　and　may　still　be　going　

through；　some　such　development　from　a　lowest　germ；　as　we　know　that　

every　living　individual；　from　the　lowest　zoophyte　to　man　himself；　

does　actually　go　through。　　They　apply　to　the　whole　of　the　living　

world；　past；　present；　and　future；　the　law　which　is　undeniably　at　

work　on　each　individual　of　it。　　They　may　be　wrong；　or　they　may　be　

right：　　but　what　is　there　in　such　a　conception　contrary　to　any　

doctrine　…　at　least　of　the　Church　of　England？　　To　say　that　this　

cannot　be　true；　that　species　cannot　vary；　because　God；　at　the　

beginning；　created　each　thing　〃according　to　its　kind；〃　is　really　to　

beg　the　question；　which　is　…　Does　the　idea　of　〃kind〃　include　

variability　or　not？　and　if　so；　how　much　variability？　　Now；　〃kind；〃　

or　〃species；〃　as　we　call　it；　is　defined　nowhere　in　the　Bible。　　What　

right　have　we　to　read　our　own　definition　into　the　word？　…　and　that　

against　the　certain　fact；　that　some　〃kinds〃　do　vary；　and　that　

widely；　…　mankind；　for　instance；　and　the　animals　and　plants　which　

he　domesticates。　　Surely　that　latter　fact　should　be　significant；　to　

those　who　believe；　as　I　do；　that　man　was　created　in　the　likeness　of　

God。　　For　if　man　has　the　power；　not　only　of　making　plants　and　

animals　vary；　but　of　developing　them　into　forms　of　higher　beauty　

and　usefulness　than　their　wild　ancestors　possessed；　why　should　not　

the　God　in　whose　image　he　is　made　possess　the　same　power？　　If　the　

old　theological　rule　be　true　…　〃There　is　nothing　in　man　which　was　

not　first　in　God〃　（sin；　of　course；　excluded）　…　then　why　should　not　

this　imperfect　creative　faculty　in　man　be　the　very　guarantee　that　

God　possesses　it　in　perfection？



Such　at　least　is　the　conclusion　of　one　who；　studying　certain　

families　of　plants；　which　indulge　in　the　most　fantastic　varieties　

of　shape　and　size；　and　yet　through　all　their　vagaries　retain　…　as　

do　the　Palms；　the　Orchids；　the　Euphorbiaceae　…　one　organ；　or　form　

of　organs；　peculiar　and　highly　specialized；　yet　constant　throughout　

the　whole　of　each　family；　has　been　driven　to　the　belief　that　each　

of　these　three　families；　at　least；　has　〃sported　off〃　from　one　

common　ancestor　…　one　archetypal　Palm；　one　archetypal　Orchid；　one　

archetypal　Euphorbia；　simple；　it　may　be；　in　itself；　but　endowed　

with　infinite　possibilities　of　new　and　complex　beauty；　to　be　

developed；　not　in　it；　but　in　its　descendants。　　He　has　asked　

himself；　sitting　alone　amid　the　boundless　wealth　of　tropic　forests；　

whether　even　then　and　there　the　great　God　might　not　be　creating　

round　him；　slowly　but　surely；　new　forms　of　beauty？　　If　he　chose　to　

do　it；　could　He　not　do　it？　　That　man　found　himself　none　the　worse　

Christian　for　the　thought。　　He　has　said　…　and　must　be　allowed　to　

say　again；　for　he　sees　no　reason　to　alter　his　words　…　in　speaking　

of　the　wonderf