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On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Or, the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection Or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life Author:Charles Darwin General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1875 Original Publisher: D. Appleton and Co. Subjects: Evolution (Biology) Natural selection Science / Life Sciences / Biology / General Science / Life Sciences / Evolution Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there m... more »ay be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHATTER IL Yabiation Usdeh Nature. Variability -- Individual differences -- Doubtful species -- Wide ranging, much diffused, and common species, vary most -- Species of the larger genera in each country vary more frequently than the species of the smaller genera -- Many of the species of the larger genera resemble vaneties in being very closely, but unequally, related to each other, and in having restricted ranges. Before applying the principles arrived at in the last chapter to organic beings in a state of nature, we must briefly discuss wbetber these latter are subject to any variation. To treat this subject properly, a long catalogue of dry facts ought to bo given; but these I shall reserve for a future work. Nor shall I here discuss tho various definitions which have been given of the term species. No one definition has satisfied all naturalists; yet every naturalist knows vaguely what he means when he speaks of a species. Generally tho term includes the unknown element of a distinct act of creation. The term " variety " is almost equally difficult to define; but here community of descent is almost universally implied, though it can rarely be proved. We Lave also what are called monstrosities; but they graduate into varieties. By a monstrosity I presume is meant some considerable deviation of structure, generally injurious, or not useful to the species. Some authors use the term " variation " in a technical sense, as implying a...« less