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CONTENTS
Variation among birds—Diagrams of bird-variation—Number of varying individuals—Variation in the mammalia—Variation in internal organs—Variations in the skull—Variations in the habits of animals—The variability of plants—Species which vary little—Concluding remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
Pages 41-82 |
VARIATION OF DOMESTICATED ANIMALS AND CULTIVATED PLANTS
The facts of variation and artificial selection—Proofs of the generality of variation—Variations of apples and melons—Variations of flowers—Variations of domestic animals—Domestic pigeons—Acclimatisation—Circumstances favourable to selection by man—Conditions favourable to variation—Concluding remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
83-101 |
NATURAL SELECTION BY VARIATION AND SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
Effect of struggle for existence under unchanged conditions—The effect under change of conditions—Divergence of character—In insects—In birds—In mammalia—Divergence leads to a maximum of life in each area—Closely allied species inhabit distinct areas—Adaptation to conditions at various periods of life—The continued existence of low forms of life—Extinction of low types among the higher animals—Circumstances favourable to the origin of new species—Probable origin of the dippers—The importance of isolation—On the advance of organisation by natural selection—Summary of the first five chapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . |
102-125 |
DIFFICULTIES AND OBJECTIONS
Difficulty as to smallness of variations—As to the right variations occurring when required—The beginnings of important organs—The mammary glands—The eyes of flatfish—Origin of the eye—Useless or non-adaptive characters—Recent extension of the region of utility in |
