Letter: Theory of evolution is not proved by finch beak 'blips'

Sir: Jonathan Weiner perpetuates the usual amateur evolutionists' error of confusing evolution within a species with evolution between different species. Most creationists have looked harder at the evidence than evolutionists, being more frequently under attack, and recognise the obvious and demonstrable evolution of 'guppies, grass, flies, moths, mice and elephants'. The dispute is whether they had a common ancestor. This is the part of Darwin's theory for which there remains no clear scientific evidence.

When Jonathan Weiner has evidence that a finch has evolved into, say, a parrot (or indeed, an elephant as Darwin expected the birds to have preceded the mammals), let us have an informed article about Darwin's theory of evolution. Meanwhile, as he properly states, 'creation continues'; for example, the fossil frog discovered in 1987 which apparently 'leaped the evolutionary gap' is just another example of creation, scientifically attested.

Yours sincerely,

MICHAEL H. SHAW

Billericay, Essex

11 July