Origin of Species Variorum

Comparison with 1869

the presence of teeth in fœtal whales, which when grown up have not a tooth in their heads; or the .. teeth, which never cut through the gums, in the upper jaws of .. unborn calves? ↑

Rudimentary organs declare their origin and plain meaning in various ways. ... There are beetles belonging to closely allied species, or even to the same identical species, which have either full-sized and perfect wings, or mere minute rudiments of membrane, not rarely lying under wing-covers firmly soldered together; and in this case it is impossible to doubt, that the rudiments represent wings. Rudimentary organs sometimes retain their potentiality: this occasionally occurs with the mammæ of male mammals, for they have been known to become well developed, and to secrete milk. So again ... in the udders in the genus Bos, there are normally four developed and two rudimentary teats; but the latter in our domestic cows sometimes become well developed and yield milk. In regard to plants the petals are sometimes rudimental, and sometimes well-developed in individuals of the same species. In certain diœcious plants Kölreuter found that by crossing a species, in which the male flowers included a rudiment of a pistil, with an hermaphrodite species, having of course a well-developed pistil, the rudiment in the hybrid offspring was much increased in size; and this clearly shows that the rudimentary and .. perfect

the presence of teeth in fœtal whales, which when grown up have not a tooth in their heads; and the presence of teeth, which never cut through the gums, in the upper jaws of our unborn calves. It has even been stated on good authority that rudiments of teeth can be detected in the beaks of certain embryonic birds. Nothing can be plainer than that wings are formed for flight, yet in how many insects do we see wings so reduced in size as to be utterly incapable of flight, and not rarely lying under wing-cases, firmly soldered together! ↑

The meaning of rudimentary organs is often quite unmistakeable: for instance, there are beetles of the same genus (and even of the same species) resembling each other most closely in all respects, one of which will have full-sized wings, and another mere rudiments of membrane; and here it is impossible to doubt, that the rudiments represent wings. Rudimentary organs sometimes retain their potentiality, and are merely not developed: this seems to be the case with the mammæ of male mammals, for many instances are on record of these organs having become well developed in full-grown males, and having secreted milk. So again there are normally four developed and two rudimentary teats in the udders of the genus Bos; but in our domestic cows the two sometimes become developed and give milk. In plants of the same species the petals sometimes occur as mere rudiments, and sometimes in a well-developed state. In some plants with their sexes separated, the male flowers include a rudiment of a pistil; and Kölreuter found that by crossing a species of this kind with another hermaphrodite species, the rudiment of the pistil in the hybrid offspring was much increased in size; and this clearly shows how essen- tially alike in nature the rudiment and the perfect