The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection: Or, the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, 6th EditionDarwin, Charles
History
The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection: Or, the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, 6th Edition
Darwin, Charles
Evolution (Biology); Natural selection
When a young naturalist commences the study of a group of organisms
quite unknown to him he is at first much perplexed in determining what
differences to consider as specific and what as varietal; for he knows
nothing of the amount and kind of variation to which the group is
subject; and this shows, at least, how very generally there is some
variation. But if he confine his attention to one class within one
country he will soon make up his mind how to rank most of the doubtful
forms. His general tendency will be to make many species, for he will
become impressed, just like the pigeon or poultry fancier before
alluded to, with the amount of difference in the forms which he is
continually studying; and he has little general knowledge of analogical
variation in other groups and in other countries by which to correct
his first impressions. As he extends the range of his observations he
will meet with more cases of difficulty; for he will encounter a
greater number of closely-allied forms. But if his observations be
widely extended he will in the end generally be able to make up his own
mind; but he will succeed in this at the expense of admitting much
variation, and the truth of this admission will often be disputed by
other naturalists. When he comes to study allied forms brought from
countries not now continuous, in which case he cannot hope to find
intermediate links, he will be compelled to trust almost entirely to
analogy, and his difficulties will rise to a climax.
Certainly no clear line of demarcation has as yet been drawn between
species and sub-species—that is, the forms which in the opinion of some
naturalists come very near to, but do not quite arrive at, the rank of
species; or, again, between sub-species and well-marked varieties, or
between lesser varieties and individual differences. These differences
blend into each other by an insensible series; and a series impresses
the mind with the idea of an actual passage.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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