Page 198 - The Error of the Evolution of Species

The Error of the Evolution
of Species

ground finch. Assuming that drought occurred once every

10 years, this change could take place in as little as 200
years. Adding in a margin of error, Grant maintained that
this transition could also last as long as 2,000 years—but
that bearing in mind the length of time the birds had exist-
ed on the island, even this figure was very low. He sug-
gested that natural selection would take longer to transform
a middle ground finch into a cactus ground finch. 232

Grant reiterated these claims in subsequent articles, in-
sistently maintaining that the finches had confirmed
Darwinism and was proof that natural selection, via envi-
ronmental pressure, caused organisms to evolve. 233
Evolutionist circles regarded these statements as a life-
saver. They were portrayed as evidence of evolution
through natural selection, a process that had hitherto always
been refuted by experiment and observation. The Grants'
researches were made the subject of Jonathan Weiner's

Pulitzer prize-winning book The Beak of the Finch. In that
1994 book, Weiner described this change in the beak as "the
best and the most detailed demonstration to date of the
power of Darwin's process." 234 Again according to Weiner,
the finch beak was an icon of evolution. 235 With his book's
publication, Peter and Rosemary Grant became heroes of
Darwinism.

Indeed, Professor Grant and his team put in a lot of hard

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