Origin of Species Variorum

→ included in these remarks 1859 1860 1861 1866

included in the above remarks 1869

discussed under the last heading 1872

→ extended. 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

applied to our present subject. 1872

→ If some species in a large genus of plants 1859 1860 1861 1866

If in a large genus of plants some species 1869

To explain by a simple example what is meant: if in a large genus of plants 1872

→ had 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

some species had 1872

→ is not in this case applicable, 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

OMIT 1872

→ namely, 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

is not here applicable, namely, 1872

→ I 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

with respect to important characters, I 1872

→ has, also, been 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

is often 1872

→ some of the 1859 1860 1861 1866 1869

the same 1872

and degree, and by the continued rejection of those tending to revert to a former and

less modified

less-modified

condition.

Specific Characters more Variable than Generic

Characters .

The principle →included in these remarks may be →extended. It is notorious that specific characters are more variable than generic.

~~explain~~

~~simple~~

~~example~~

~~what~~

~~meant.~~

→If some species in a large genus of plants →had blue flowers and some had red, the colour would be only a specific character, and no one would be surprised at one of the blue species varying into red, or conversely; but if all the species had blue flowers, the colour would become a generic character, and its variation would be a more unusual circumstance. I have chosen this example because

the

explanation →is not in this case applicable, which most naturalists would

advance

advance,

→namely, that specific characters are more variable than generic, because they are taken from parts of less physiological importance than those commonly used for classing genera. I believe this explanation is partly, yet only indirectly, true; I shall, however, have to

re- turn

return

to this

point

subject

our

the

chapter on Classification. It would be almost superfluous to adduce evidence in support of the

~~above~~

above

statement, that

ordinary specific

specific

characters are more variable than generic; but →I have repeatedly noticed in works on natural history, that when an author

~~has~~

has

remarks

remarked

with surprise that some

important

important

organ or part, which is generally very constant throughout

a large

large

group

groups

of species,

~~has~~

has

differs

differed

considerably in

closely allied

closely-allied

species,

~~that~~

that

it →has, also, been variable in the individuals of →some of the species. And this fact shows that a character, which is generally of generic value, when it sinks in value and becomes only of specific value, often becomes variable, though its

physiological

phy- siological