Origin of Species Variorum

→ action of natural selection accords perfectly 1859 1860 1861 1866

results of natural selection accord perfectly 1869

results accord 1872

→ his powers of 1859 1860 1861 1866

OMIT 1869 1872

→ selection. 1859 1860 1861 1866

selection or the survival of the fittest. 1869

selection, that is by the survival of the fittest. 1872

→ Extinction .— 1859

Extinction. — 1860 1861

Extinction caused by Natural Selection. 1866 1872

Extinction caused by Natural Selection. 1869

→ But as from 1859 1860

From 1861 1866

Owing to 1869 1872

→ inhabitants, 1859 1860

the full number of its existing inhabitants, and as most areas are already stocked with a great diversity of forms, 1861 1866 1869

inhabitants; 1872

→ it follows 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

and it follows from this, 1872

→ each selected and 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

the 1872

→ represented 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

which is represented 1872

→ during 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

run a good chance of utter extinction, during great 1872

→ seasons or 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

nature of the seasons, or from a temporary increase 1872

→ continually and slowly being 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

OMIT 1872

→ the number of 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

OMIT 1872

→ goes on perpetually and almost 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

can go on 1872

→ numbers inevitably 1859 1860 1861

many inevitably 1866 1869

in number, many old forms 1872

→ shows us plainly; and indeed we can see reason why they should not have thus increased, for 1859 1860

tells us plainly; and we shall presently attempt to show why it is that 1861 1866 1869

plainly tells us; and we shall presently attempt to show why it is that 1872

→ places in the polity of nature is not indefinitely great,— not that we have any means of knowing that any one region has as yet got its maximum of species. 1859 1860

species throughout the world has not become immeasurably great. 1861 1866 1869 1872

→action of natural selection accords perfectly

~~well~~

well

with what geology tells us of the rate and manner at which the inhabitants of

the

this

world have changed.

Slow though the process of selection may be, if feeble man can do much by →his powers of artificial selection, I can see no limit to the amount of change, to the beauty and

~~infinite~~

infinite

complexity of the coadaptations between all organic beings, one with another and with their physical conditions of life, which may

have been

affected

effected

in the long course of time

through

nature's power of →selection.

→ Extinction .—

This subject will be more fully discussed in our chapter on Geology; but it must

here be

be here

alluded to from being intimately connected with natural selection. Natural selection acts solely through the preservation of variations in some way advantageous, which consequently endure. →But as from the high geometrical

ratio

rate

powers

of increase of all organic beings, each area is already

~~fully~~

fully

stocked with →inhabitants, →it follows

that,

that

as →each selected and favoured

forms

form

increase

increases

in number,

so, generally,

generally will

will

the less favoured

~~forms~~

forms

decrease and become rare. Rarity, as geology tells us, is the precursor to extinction. We

can

can,

~~also,~~

also,

see that any form →represented by few individuals

will

will,

→during fluctuations in the →seasons or in the number of its

enemies.

~~run~~

~~good~~

~~chance~~

~~utter~~

~~extinction.~~

But we may go further than this;

for,

for

as new forms are →continually and slowly being produced, unless we

admit

believe

that →the number of specific forms →goes on perpetually and almost indefinitely

increasing

increasing,

→numbers inevitably must become extinct. That the number of specific forms has not indefinitely increased, geology →shows us plainly; and indeed we can see reason why they should not have thus increased, for the number of →places in the polity of nature is not indefinitely great,— not that we have any means of knowing that any one region has as yet got its maximum of species.