Origin of Species Variorum

→ There can be no doubt 1859 1860

Many cases are on record, showing 1861 1872

→ could be obtained nearly 1859 1860 1861

OMIT 1872

→ extremely different races or species, I can hardly believe. 1860 1861

extremely different races or speceies, I can hardly believe. 1859

quite distinct races, would be very difficult. 1872

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

Many cases are on record, showing that a race may be modified by occasional crosses, if aided by the careful selection of the individuals which present the desired character; but to obtain a race nearly intermediate between two extremely different races or species, would be very difficult.

→ and 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

in character, and 1872

→ or rather utter hopelessness, 1859 1860 1861

or rather utter hopelessness 1866

OMIT 1869 1872

→ Pigeon .— 1859 1860 1861

Pigeon, their Differences and Origin . 1866 1869

Pigeon , their Differences and Origin . 1872

been produced by the crossing of a few aboriginal species; but by crossing we can

get only

only get

forms in some degree intermediate between their parents; and if we account for our several domestic races by this process, we must admit the former existence of the most extreme forms, as the Italian greyhound, bloodhound, bull-dog, &c., in the wild state. Moreover, the possibility of making distinct races by crossing has been greatly exaggerated. →There can be no doubt that a race may be modified by occasional crosses, if aided by the careful selection of

the

those

individuals

individual

mongrels

~~mongrels,~~

mongrels,

which present

the

any

desired character; but

to obtain

that

a race →could be obtained nearly intermediate between two →extremely different races or species, I can hardly believe. ↑ Sir J. Sebright expressly

experimented

experimentised

with

for

this object, and failed. The offspring from the first cross between two pure breeds is tolerably and sometimes (as I have found with pigeons)

quite

extremely

uniform

uniform,

→and everything seems simple enough; but when these mongrels are crossed one with another for several generations, hardly two of them

are

will be

alike;

alike,

and then the

~~extreme~~

extreme

difficulty

difficulty,

→or rather utter hopelessness, of the task becomes

manifest.

apparent.

Cer- tainly,

Certainly,

a breed intermediate between two very distinct breeds could not be got without extreme care and long-continued selection; nor can I find a

~~single~~

single

case on record of a permanent race having been thus formed.

~~On the~~

On the

Breeds of the Domestic → Pigeon .—

Believing that it is always best to study some special group, I have, after deliberation, taken up domestic pigeons. I have kept every breed which I could purchase or obtain, and have been most kindly favoured with skins from several quarters of the world, more especially by the Hon. W. Elliot from India, and by the Hon. C. Murray from Persia. Many treatises in different languages have been published on pigeons, and some of them are very important, as being of

considerable

con- siderable