MIVART, miv'art, Saint George Jackson, English naturalist: b. London, 30 Nov. 1827; d. there, 1 April 1900. He was educated at Harrow and King's College, London. Having joined the Roman Catholic Church in his 17th year, he thereafter received his academic train ing in Saint Mary's College, Oscott. In 1851 he was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn, but the possession of ample means enabled him to gratify his taste for natural history. He was appointed lecturer on zoology in Saint Mary's Hospital Medical School in 1862, and from 1874 till 1877 was professor of biology in the Roman Catholic University College at Kensington. On the invitation of the Belgian bishops he ac cepted, in 1890, the chair of the philosophy of natural history in the University of Louvain. He was vice-president of the Zoological Society in 1869 and 1882, secretary of the Linnman Society 1874-80 and its vice-president on two occasions (1880 and 1892). Among Mivart's contributions to reviews, etc., are those on 'The Structure of the Fins of Fishes,' The Oste ology of Birds,' (The Zoology, Anatomy, and Classification of Apes and Lemurs,' and his 'Memoir of the Insectivora.' He also pub lished several important works on natural his tory subjects and the philosophical questions arising out of them. His best-known work is 'The Genesis of Species' (1871), in which, while fully admitting organic (though not mental) evolution, he argues against Darwin's theory of natural selection and attempts to ex plain the production of new species as due to an innate plastic power. Among his other works may be enumerated 'Lessons in Elemen tary Anatomy) (1873);
1881) ; 'Lessons from Nature' (1876) ; (Con temporary Evolution' (1876) ; 'The Cat' (1881), a good introduction to the study of the vertebrate animals, especially the mammals; 'Nature and Thought' (1882) ; 'A Philosophi cal Catechism> (1884) ; 'On Truth: A System atic Inquiry' (1889), in which he discusses the ultimate basis of science; 'The Origin of Hu man Reason' (1889), in which he insists on the fundamental distinction between man and all other animals; 'Monograph of the Canidw' (1890);
The Elements of Ornithology' (1892), a musical introduction; 'Essays and Criticisms' (1892); 'Types of Animal Life' (1893), all vertebrate and mainly mammalian; an 'Introduction to the Elements of Science' (1894). The articles in the 9th edition of the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica' on Apes, Reptilia (Anatomy) and Skeleton were from Mivart's pen. He published anonymously a novel,
Standon,' republished shortly after his death under the title 'Castle and Manor.' Mivart's contributions to the study of the verte brate animals, though not of epoch-making importance, were always valuable and luminous. In the latter part of 1899 and the beginning of 1900 he expressed himself with considerable freedom regarding certain doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church, and on his refusal to sign a declaration of faith submitted to him was inhibited by Cardinal Vaughan from taking the sacraments of the Church.