British Fossil Brachiopoda Permian And Carboniferous Species 1858 63 PDF Download

Excerpt from British Fossil Brachiopoda, Vol. 2: Permian and Carboniferous Species Before proceeding further it may be as well that we should inquire into what has led to this extraordinary multiplying of species? Has it not been caused by the uncertainty and difference in opinion that exists among naturalists with reference to what should constitute genera and species, as well as by the ignorance and precipitation with which we are so often apt to consider new, what may not be known to us? Deshayes in his paper on the distribution of Acephalous Mollusca in the tertiary basin of Paris, observes For us the genus is a creation of our own mind very happily conceived, so as to favour the grouping of those beings which have between them the largest number of common characters, than with any of those which are after them the most nearly related. That is a natural system, and consequently rational one; the genera represent equal degrees, and of comparable organization. That it is while, considering them in this manner, that in our actual researches they acquire the most interest. The fundamental basis of natural history, reposing on the exact and profound knowledge of the species, being that which emanates directly from the hands of the Creator, while the art of grouping those which we have recognised is human. Darwin considers the term species, on the contrary, as one arbitrarily given, for the sake of convenience, to a set of individuals closely resembling each other; and that it does not effectually differ from the term variety, which is given to its less distinct and more uctuating forms. That the term variety, again, In comparison with mere differential differences, is also applied arbitrarily and for convenience sake; that no one can draw any clear distinction between individual differences and slight varieties, or between more plainly marked varieties and sub-species and species. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."