ted by deeper channels, we can
understand how it is that a relation exists between the depth of the sea
separating two mammalian faunas, and the degree of their affinity--a
relation which is quite inexplicable on the theory of independent acts
of creation."

* * * * *

Looking to all these general principles of geographical distribution,
and remembering the sundry points of smaller detail relating to oceanic
islands which I will not wait to recapitulate, to my mind it seems that
there is no escape from the following conclusion, with which I will
bring my brief epitome of the evidence to a close. The conclusion to
which, I submit, all the evidence leads is, that if the doctrine of
special creation is taken to be true, then it must be further taken that
the one and only principle which has been consistently followed in the
geographical deposition of species, is that of so depositing them as to
make it everywhere appear that they were not thus deposited at all, but
came into existence where they now occur by way of genetic descent with
perpetual migration and correlative modification. On no other principle,
so far as I can see, would it be possible to account for the fact that
"every species has come into existence coincident both in space and time
with a pre-existing and closely allied species," together with the
carefully graduated regard to physical barriers which the Creator must
have displayed while depositing his newly formed species on either sides
of them--everywhere making _degrees_ of structural affinity correspond
to _degrees_ of geographical continuity, and _degrees_ of structural
difference correspond to _degrees_ of geographical separation, whether
by mountain-chains in the case of fresh-water faunas, by land and by
deep sea in the case of marine faunas, or by reaches of ocean in the
case of terrestrial faunas--stocking oceanic islands with an enormous
profusion of peculiar species all allied to those on the nearest
mainlands, yet everywhere avoiding the creation upon them of any
amphibian or mammal, except an occasional bat. We are familiar with the
doctrine that God is a God who hideth himself; here, however, it seems
to me, we should have but a thinly-veiled insinuation, not merely that
in his works he is hidden, but that in these works he is untrue. Than
which I cannot conceive a stronger condemnation of the theory which it
has been my object fairly to represent and dispass