Page 192 - The Error of the Evolution of Species

The Error of the Evolution
of Species

tential importance of the finches for the theory he devel-

oped later. 222
The well-known British ornithologist John Gould stud-
ied in detail the finch specimens Darwin had collected in
1837, and concluded that these birds were unique to the
Galapagos and that most of Darwin's records were wrong.
Examination of the finches caught by the Beagle's crew and
the regular records they kept brought Darwin's errors to

light. 223
Frank Sulloway, a historian of science, stated that with
regard to these birds' feeding habits and geographical dis-
tribution, Darwin's thinking was limited and, to a large ex-
tent, incorrect. 224 About the claim that Darwin took the
Galapagos finches as evidence for evolution, Sulloway said.
"Nothing could be further from the truth" 225
In short, following long years of traveling, Darwin con-
cluded that the finches could represent an example of evo-

lution—but in so doing, he based himself of deficient and
mistaken data. Actually, it was in fact not Darwin who
mythologized the Galapagos finches, but 20 century evolu-
th
tionists. The term Darwin's finches was first used by Percy
Lowe in 1936, and the ornithologist David Lack spread the
use of the term. Lack's 1947 book Darwin's Finches was a
standard-bearer for evolutionary propaganda in this area. 226

With his support for neo-Darwinism's claims, he made the

190