"Icanentertainnodoubt, afterthemostdeliberatestudyanddispassionatejudgmentofwhichIamcapable, thattheviewwhichmostnaturalistsentertain,andwhichIformerlyentertained, namely, thateachspecieshasbeenindependentlycreated, ;butthatthosebelongingtowhatarecalledthesamegeneraarelinealdescendantsofsomeotherandgenerallyextinctspecies, , IamconvincedthatNaturalSelectionhasbeenthemain,butnotexclusive, meansofmodification.
Thisisthekernelofthenewtheory, theDarwiniancreed, ,"Whatwillhedowithit?" and "Howfarwillhecarryit?" theauthoranswersatthecloseofthevolume:
"Icannotdoubtthatthetheoryofdescentwithmodificationembracesallthemembersofthesameclass." Furthermore, "Ibelievethatallanimalshavedescendedfromatmostonlyfourorfiveprogenitors,andplantsfromanequalorlessernumber."
Seeingthatanalogyasstronglysuggestsafurtherstepinthesamedirection, whileheproteststhat"analogymaybeadeceitfulguide," yethefollowsitsinexorableleadingtotheinferencethat—
"Probablyalltheorganicbeingswhichhaveeverlivedonthisearhavedescendedfromsomeoneprimordialform, intowhichlifewasfirstbreathed."
Inthefirstextractwehavethethinendofthewedgedrivenalittleway; inthelast, thewedgedrivenhome.
