| → most — Species 1859 1860 1861 1872 |
| most—Species 1866 |
| most — Speices 1869 |
|
| → in one part, either injurious to 1859 1860 |
| in one part, generally injurious to 1861 |
| generally injurious to 1866 1869 |
| generally injurious, 1872 |
|
|
CHAPTER II. |
| VARIATION UNDER NATURE. |
|
Individual
Doubtful
Wide ranging, much diffused, and common
vary
→most — Species
of the larger genera in
country vary more
the species of the smaller
Many of the species of the larger genera resemble varieties in being very closely, but unequally, related to each other, and in having restricted ranges. |
| BEFORE applying the principles arrived at in the last chapter to organic beings in a state of nature, we must briefly discuss whether these latter are subject to any variation. To treat this subject
properly, a long catalogue of dry facts
be given; but these I shall reserve for
future work. Nor shall I here discuss the various definitions which have been given of the term species. No one definition has
satisfied all naturalists; yet every naturalist knows vaguely what he means when he speaks of a species. Generally the term includes the unknown element of a distinct act of creation. The term "variety" is almost equally difficult to define; but here community of descent is almost universally implied, though it can rarely be proved. We have also what are called monstrosities; but they graduate into varieties. By a monstrosity I presume is meant some considerable deviation of
→in one part, either injurious to
or not useful to the
Some authors use the term "variation" in a technical sense, as implying a modification directly due to the physical conditions of life; and "variations" in this sense are supposed not to be
but who can say that the dwarfed condition of shells in the brackish waters of the Baltic, or dwarfed
|
