Origin of Species Variorum

↑ 1 blocks not present in 1859 1860 1861; present in 1866 1869 1872

having kept nearly all the English kinds alive, having bred and crossed them, and examined their skeletons, I have come to a similar conclusion, — the grounds of which will be given in a future work.

→ in structure, I do not doubt that they all have 1859

in structure, I do not doubt that they have all 1860

in structure, the evidence preponderates in favour of their having all 1861

in structure, the evidence strongly preponderates in favour of their having all 1866

the evidence is clear that they are all 1869 1872

→ in Great Britain 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

OMIT 1872

→ a 1859 1860 1861 1866

so large a 1869

OMIT 1872

→ whole 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

domestic dog throughout the 1872

→ Who can 1859 1860

for who will 1861 1866 1869 1872

Indian fowl (Gallus

bankiva):

bankiva).

↑ In regard to ducks and rabbits,

some

the

breeds of which differ

much

considerably

from each

other,

other

→in structure, I do not doubt that they all have descended from the common wild duck and rabbit.

The doctrine of the origin of our several domestic races from several aboriginal stocks, has been carried to an absurd extreme by some authors. They believe that every race which breeds true, let the distinctive characters be ever so slight, has had its wild prototype. At this rate there must have existed at least a score of species of wild cattle, as many sheep, and several

goats,

goats

in Europe alone, and several even within Great Britain. One author believes that there formerly existed →in Great Britain eleven wild species of sheep peculiar to

Great Britain!

it!

When we bear in mind that Britain has now

not

hardly

one peculiar mammal, and France but few distinct from those of

Germany,

Germany

and

~~conversely, and~~

conversely, and

so with Hungary, Spain, &c., but that each of these kingdoms possesses several peculiar breeds of cattle, sheep, &c., we must admit that many domestic breeds

must have

have

originated in Europe; for whence

have

otherwise could

could

they

~~have~~

have

been

derived?

~~these~~

~~several~~

~~countries~~

could

~~not~~

not

~~possess~~

possess

→a

~~number~~

number

~~peculiar~~

peculiar

~~species~~

species

~~as distinct~~

for

as distinct

~~parent-stocks?~~

parent-stocks?

So it is in India. Even in the case of the

breeds

domestic dogs

of the →whole world, which I

~~fully~~

fully

admit

to have

are

have probably

descended from several wild species,

cannot

be doubted

doubt

that there has been an immense amount of inherited

variation;

variation.

→Who can believe that animals closely resembling the Italian greyhound, the bloodhound, the bull-dog,

pug-dog, or

Blenheim spaniel, &c. — so unlike all wild Canidæ — ever existed

~~freely~~

freely

in a state of nature? It has often been loosely said that all our races of dogs have been produced by the crossing of a few aboriginal species; but by crossing we can

only get

get only

forms in some degree intermediate between their parents; and if we