seanie

From the last page of The Origin of Species;

'A number of species, however, keeping in a body might remain for a long period unchanged, whilst within this same period, several of these species, by migrating into new countries and coming into competition with foreign associates, might become modified; so that we must not overrate the accuracy of organic change as a measure of time.'

Sounds pretty much like Punctuated Equilibrium to me. Sometimes species go through a period of relative stasis sometimes they don't. It rather depends on the environment they find themselves in and the available opportunities. I don't see what's startling about that.

And while we're on the last page I can't resist;

'There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.'