us far astray, such perhaps as Amphioxous and Archæopteryx, and the Pseudo-Isidore who produced them may yet be discovered. CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF THE POSITION The modern story of the theory of organic evolution shows certain important dates--1859, 1880, 1894, 1895, 1899 and 1909. These begin with the _Origin of Species_ and end with the publication of a volume in commemoration of its jubilee, when most of the leading students of evolution united to render homage to Darwin. The year 1859 has been so often and so worthily treated that it is enough here to say that the fifty years between the issue of the work of Darwin and Wallace and 1909 saw a greater revolution in biology, speculative and practical, than any period so relatively brief had ever seen. In the year 1880 the “coming of age” of the _Origin of Species_ was celebrated. On the 9th of April at the Royal Institution an address was given by the powerful friend, champion and candid critic of Darwin, and before the scientific and educated world Huxley was able to say with his own force and directness: “Evolution is no longer an hypothesis, but an historical fact.” It may be noted in passing that Darwin’s theory of natural selection is not referred to in the address. Challenges and opposition from various quarters met this confident claim of the formidable speaker, as doubtless he desired, but the work of the succeeding half-century has done little or nothing that does not establish that claim. It is hardly to be doubted that if in the jubilee-year, 1909, Huxley had been alive on this earth, instead of elsewhere, his eloquent voice would have been heard to declare with emphasis equal to that of 1880: “Selection is no longer an hypothesis, but an historical fact.” Some such statement, with the _imprimatur_ of a great name would have removed from the jubilee-volume that slight aspect as of a Dutch chorus[3] which is apparent in it. A remark of Kelvin’s when he was conferring a medal of the Royal Society on Huxley may illustrate what has been said above. He said that they must all be thankful to have still among them that champion of Evolution who once bore down its enemies, but was now possibly needed to save it from its friends. It may be regretted that it was not so in 1909.