Origin of Species Variorum

→ an important aid 1869 1872

important an aid 1859 1860 1861

an aid as important 1866

→ the aphorism by Linnæus, namely, 1869

I think, that saying of Linnæus, 1859 1860 1861

I think, that saying by Linnæus, 1866

the aphorism enunciated by Linnæus, namely, 1872

angle of the

lower jaw

jaws

in Marsupials— the manner in which the wings of insects are folded— mere colour in certain Algæ— mere pubescence on parts of the flower in grasses— the nature of the dermal covering, as hair or feathers, in the Vertebrata. If the Ornithorhynchus had been covered with feathers instead of hair, this external and trifling character

would,

would

I think,

....

have been considered by naturalists as →an important aid in determining the degree of affinity of this strange creature to

birds

and

reptiles,

approach

structure

any

one

internal

and important

~~OMIT~~

....

organ.

....

The importance, for classification, of trifling characters, mainly depends on their being correlated with

many

several

other characters of more or less importance. The value indeed of an aggregate of characters is very evident in natural history. Hence, as has often been remarked, a species may depart from its allies in several characters, both of high physiological

importance,

importance

and of almost universal prevalence, and yet leave us in no doubt where it should be ranked. Hence, also, it has been

found,

found

that a classification founded on any single character, however important that may be, has always failed; for no part of the organisation is

universally

invariably

constant. The importance of an aggregate of characters, even when none are important, alone

explains,

explains

→the aphorism by Linnæus, namely, that the characters do not give the genus, but the genus gives the characters; for this

saying

....

seems founded on

the

appreciation of many trifling points of resemblance, too slight to be defined. Certain plants, belonging to the Malpighiaceæ, bear perfect and degraded flowers; in the latter, as A. de Jussieu has remarked, "the greater number of the characters proper to the species, to the genus, to the family, to the class, disappear, and thus laugh at our classification."

~~But~~

But

When

when

Aspicarpa produced in France, during several years, only

these degraded

degraded

flowers, departing so wonderfully in a number of the most important