desired end. Breeders of cattle wish the flesh and fat to be well marbled together: an animal thus characterised has been slaughtered, but the breeder has gone with confidence to the same stock and has succeeded. ↑1 blocks not present in 1872; present in 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 | Thus, a well-flavoured vegetable is cooked, and the individual is destroyed;
but the horticulturist sows seeds of
the same stock,
and confidently expects to get nearly the same variety; breeders of cattle wish the flesh and fat to be well marbled together; the animal has been slaughtered, but the breeder goes with confidence to the same family. |
....... 1866 1869 1872 | I have 1859 1860 1861 |
Such Such 1866 1869 1872 | such 1859 1860 1861 |
faith
may be placed in may be placed in 1866 1869 1872 |
in 1859 1860 1861 |
the
power power 1866 1869 1872 | powers 1859 1860 1861 |
of selection, that
...OMIT 1872 |
I do not doubt that 1859 1860 1861 |
probably 1866 1869 |
a breed of cattle, always yielding oxen with extraordinarily long horns,
could, could, 1872 | could 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
it is probable, be it is probable, be 1872 |
be slowly 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
formed by carefully watching which individual bulls and cows, when matched, produced oxen with the longest horns; and yet no one ox
would would 1866 1869 1872 | could 1859 1860 1861 |
ever have propagated its kind. Here is a better and real illustration: according to M. Verlot, some varieties of the double annual stock
of various colours,
from having been long carefully
selected to the right degree, always produce by seed
a large proportion of plants
bearing double and quite sterile flowers; so that, if the variety had not yielded others, it would at once have become extinct; but it likewise always
yields
some single and fertile plants,
which differ only in their power of producing
two forms, from ordinary single varieties. Thus
these single and fertile plants
may
be compared with the males
and females
of an ant-community,
and the sterile double-flowered plants, which are regularly produced in large numbers,
with the many sterile
neuters of the same community. As with the varieties of the stock, so with social insects, selection has been applied to the family, and not to the individual, for the sake of gaining a serviceable end.
Hence we may conclude that Hence we may conclude that 1872 |
Thus I believe it has been with social insects: a 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
slight
modifications modifications 1872 | modification 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
of
structure structure 1872 | structure, 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
or
of instinct, of instinct, 1866 1869 1872 | instinct, 1859 1860 1861 |
correlated with the sterile condition of certain members of the community,
have proved advantageous: have proved advantageous: 1872 |
has been advantageous to the community: 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
consequently the fertile males and females
have have 1872 |
of the same community 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
flourished, and transmitted to their fertile offspring a tendency to produce sterile members
with with 1872 | having 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
the same
modifications. modifications. 1872 | modification. 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
...OMIT 1872 |
And I believe that 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
This This 1872 | this 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
process
must have must have 1872 | has 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
been
repeated repeated 1872 | repeated, 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
many times, until many times, until 1872 |
until 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
that prodigious amount of difference between the fertile and sterile females of the same species has been produced, which we see in many
social insects. |
But we have not as yet touched on the climax of the difficulty; namely, the fact that the neuters of several ants differ, not only from the fertile females and males, but from each other, sometimes to an almost incredible degree, and are thus divided into two or even three castes. The castes, moreover, do not
commonly commonly 1872 | generally 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869 |
graduate into each other, but are perfectly well defined; being as distinct from each
other other 1869 1872 | other, 1859 1860 1861 1866 |
as are any two species of the same genus, or rather as any two genera of the same family. Thus in Eciton, there are working and soldier neuters, with jaws and instincts extraordinarily
|