Origin of Species Variorum

if not useful to the possessor, will be saved as far as is possible, may often have come into play, and aided in the entire obliteration of a rudimentary organ. ↑

As the presence of rudimentary organs is thus due to the tendency in every part of the organisation, which has long existed, to be inherited— we can understand, on the genealogical view of classification, how it is that systematists have found rudimentary parts as useful as, or even sometimes more useful than, parts of high physiological importance. Rudimentary organs may be compared with the letters in a word, still retained in the spelling, but become useless in the pronunciation, but which serve as a clue .. for its derivation. On the view of descent with, modification, we may conclude that the existence of organs in a rudimentary, imperfect, and useless condition, or quite aborted, far from presenting a strange difficulty, as they assuredly do on the ordinary doctrine of creation, might even have been anticipated in accordance with the views here explained.

Summary .

In this chapter I have attempted to show, that the arrangement of all organic beings throughout all time in group under group— that the nature of the relationship, by which all living and extinct organisms are united by complex, radiating, and circuitous lines of affinities in a few grand classes,— the rules followed and the difficulties encountered by naturalists in their classifications,— the value set upon characters, if constant and prevalent, whether of high or the most trifling importance, or, as with rudimentary organs, of no importance,— the wide opposition in value between analogical or adaptive characters, and characters of true affinity; and other