Origin of Species Variorum

→ but 1859 1860 1861

and only partially 1866 1869 1872

→ from other groups, as all would blend together by steps as fine as those between the finest existing varieties, nevertheless 1859 1860

from other groups, as all would blend together by steps as fine as those between existing varieties, nevertheless 1861

from other groups, as all would be blended together by steps as fine as those between existing varieties, nevertheless 1866

still 1869 1872

→ Every intermediate link between these eleven genera and their primordial parent, and every intermediate 1859 1860 1861 1866

with every 1869 1872

→ of their descendants, may be supposed to be 1859 1860 1861 1866

OMIT 1869 1872

→ to be as fine as 1859 1860 1861 1866

not greater than 1869 1872

→ or these parents from their ancient and unknown progenitor. 1859 1860 1861 1866

and descendants. 1869 1872

→ on 1859 1860 1861 1866

would be natural; for, on 1869 1872

→ from A, or from I, 1859 1860 1861 1866

for instance, from A, 1869 1872

→ We shall certainly 1859 1860

We shall assuredly 1861 1866

Assuredly we shall 1869 1872

together by

long

long,

→but

broken

broken,

chains

chain

of affinities. Extinction has only

defined the

separated

the groups:

groups:

it has by no means made them; for if every form which has ever lived on this earth were suddenly to reappear, though it would be quite impossible to give definitions by which each group could be

distinguished,

distinguished

→from other groups, as all would blend together by steps as fine as those between the finest existing varieties, nevertheless a natural classification, or at least a natural arrangement, would be possible. We shall see this by turning to the

diagram;

diagram:

the letters, A to L, may represent eleven Silurian genera, some of which have produced large groups of modified

descendants,

descendants.

→Every intermediate link between these eleven genera and their primordial parent, and every intermediate link in each branch and sub-branch →of their descendants, may be supposed to be still alive; and the links →to be as fine as those between

existing

the finest

varieties. In this case it would be quite impossible to give

~~any~~

any

definitions

definition

by which the several members of the several groups could be distinguished from their more immediate

parents

parents;

→or these parents from their ancient and unknown progenitor. Yet the

~~natural~~

natural

arrangement in the diagram would still hold

good

good;

and

and,

→on the principle of inheritance, all the forms

descended,

descended

→from A, or from I, would have something in common. In a tree we can

distinguish

specify

this or that branch, though at the actual fork the two unite and blend together. We could not, as I have said, define the several groups; but we could pick out types, or forms, representing most of the characters of each group, whether large or small, and thus give a general idea of the value of the differences between them. This is what we should be driven to, if we were ever to succeed in collecting all the forms in any

one class

class

which have lived throughout all time and space. →We shall certainly never succeed in making