Origin of Species Variorum

Comparison with 1872

supposed not to be inherited; but who can say that the dwarfed condition of shells in the brackish waters of the Baltic, or dwarfed plants on Alpine summits, or the thicker fur of an animal from far northwards, would not in some cases be inherited for at least a few generations? and in this case I presume that the form would be called a variety.

It may perhaps be doubted whether monstrosities, or such sudden and considerable deviations of structure as we occasionally see in our domestic productions, more especially with plants, are ever permanently propagated in a state of nature. Monsters are very apt to be sterile; and almost every part of every organic being, at least with animals, is so beautifully related to its complex conditions of life that it seems as improbable that any part should have been suddenly produced perfect, as that a complex machine should have been invented by man in a perfect state. Under domestication monstrosities sometimes occur which resemble normal structures in widely different animals. Thus pigs have occasionally been born with a sort of proboscis, and if any wild species of the same genus had naturally possessed a proboscis, it might have been argued that this had appeared as a monstrosity; but I have as yet failed to find, after diligent search, cases of monstrosities resembling normal structures in nearly allied forms, and these alone bear on the question. If monstrous forms of this kind ever do appear in a state of nature and are capable of reproduction (which is not always the case), as they occur rarely and singly, their preservation would depend on unusually favourable circumstances. ↑ They would, also, during the first and succeeding generations cross with the ordinary form, and thus their abnormal character would almost inevitably be lost. But I shall have to

supposed not to be inherited: but who can say that the dwarfed condition of shells in the brackish waters of the Baltic, or dwarfed plants on Alpine summits, or the thicker fur of an animal from far northwards, would not in some cases be inherited for at least some few generations? and in this case I presume that the form would be called a variety.

It may .. be doubted whether ... sudden and great deviations of structure such as we occasionally see in our domestic productions, more especially with plants, are ever permanently propagated in a state of nature. ... Almost every part of every organic being ... is so beautifully related to its complex conditions of life that it seems as improbable that any part should have been suddenly produced perfect, as that a complex machine should have been invented by man in a perfect state. Under domestication monstrosities often occur which resemble normal structures in widely different animals. Thus pigs have often been born with a sort of proboscis like that of the tapir or elephant. Now, if any wild species of the pig-genus had naturally possessed a proboscis, it might have been argued that this in like manner had suddenly appeared as a monstrosity; but I have as yet failed to find, after diligent search, cases of monstrosities resembling normal structures in nearly allied forms, and these alone would bear on the question. If monstrous forms of this kind ever do appear in a state of nature and are capable of propagation (which is not always the case), as they occur rarely and singly, their preservation would depend on unusually favourable circumstances. ↑ They would, also, during the first and succeeding generations cross with the ordinary form, and thus they would almost inevitably lose their abnormal character. But I shall have to