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
To test the truth of this anticipation I have arranged the plants of
twelve countries, and the coleopterous insects of two districts, into
two nearly equal masses, the species of the larger genera on one side,
and those of the smaller genera on the other side, and it has
invariably proved to be the case that a larger proportion of the
species on the side of the larger genera presented varieties, than on
the side of the smaller genera. Moreover, the species of the large
genera which present any varieties, invariably present a larger average
number of varieties than do the species of the small genera. Both these
results follow when another division is made, and when all the least
genera, with from only one to four species, are altogether excluded
from the tables. These facts are of plain signification on the view
that species are only strongly marked and permanent varieties; for
wherever many species of the same genus have been formed, or where, if
we may use the expression, the manufactory of species has been active,
we ought generally to find the manufactory still in action, more
especially as we have every reason to believe the process of
manufacturing new species to be a slow one. And this certainly holds
true if varieties be looked at as incipient species; for my tables
clearly show, as a general rule, that, wherever many species of a genus
have been formed, the species of that genus present a number of
varieties, that is, of incipient species, beyond the average. It is not
that all large genera are now varying much, and are thus increasing in
the number of their species, or that no small genera are now varying
and increasing; for if this had been so, it would have been fatal to my
theory; inasmuch as geology plainly tells us that small genera have in
the lapse of time often increased greatly in size; and that large
genera have often come to their maxima, declined, and disappeared. All
that we want to show is, that where many species of a genus have been
formed, on an average many are still forming; and this certainly holds
good.
_Many of the Species included within the Larger Genera resemble
Varieties in being very closely, but unequally, related to each other,
and in having restricted ranges._
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