Or, to put it in another way, if the occurrence of this physiological peculiarity has been often the only possible means of isolating two sections of a species occupying a common area, and thus giving rise to a divergence of specific type (as obviously _must_ have been the case wherever there was an absence of any other form of isolation), it is nothing less than a necessary consequence that many allied species should now present the physiological peculiarity in question. Thus the association between the physiological peculiarity and the morphological divergence is explained by the simple hypothesis, that the former has acted as a necessary condition to the occurrence of the latter. In the absence of other forms of isolation, the morphological divergence could not have taken place at all, had not the physiological peculiarity arisen; and hence it is that we now meet with so many cases where such divergence is associated with this peculiarity. * * * * * So far we have been considering the physiological change as historically the prior one. Here, at first sight, it may seem that the segregative power of physiological selection must end; for it may well seem impossible that the physiological change can ever be necessary for the divergence of morphological varieties into true species in cases where it has _not_ been the prior change, but has only set in after morphological changes have proceeded far enough to have already constituted definite varieties. A little thought, however, will show that physiological selection is quite as potent a condition to the differentiation of species when it occurs after varietal divergence has begun, as it is when it occurs before the divergence--and hence that it really makes no difference to the theory of physiological selection whether, in particular cases, the cross-infertility arises before or after any structural or other modifications with which it is associated. For the theory does not assert that all varieties have been due to physiological selection. There are doubtless many other causes of the origin of varieties besides cross-infertility with parent forms; but, as a general rule, it does not appear that they are by themselves capable of carrying divergence beyond a merely varietal stage. In order to carry divergence to the stage of producing _species_, it appears to be a general condition that, sooner or later, cross-infertility should arise--seeing that, when varieties do succeed in becoming species, we almost invariably find that, as a matter of fact, cross-infertility has arisen. Hence, if cross-infertility has thus usually been a necessary condition to a varietal divergence becoming specific, it can make no material difference when the incipient infertility arose.