On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (free children's ebooks online txt) 📖

into futurity as to foretel that it will be the common and widely-spread species, belonging to the larger and dominant groups, which will ultimately prevail and procreate new and dominant species. As all the living forms of life are the lineal descendants of those which lived long before the Silurian epoch, we may feel certain that the ordinary succession by generation has never once been broken, and that no cataclysm has desolated the whole world. Hence we may look with some confidence to a secure future of equally inappreciable length. And as natural selection works solely by and for the good of each being, all corporeal and mental endowments will tend to progress towards perfection.

 

It is interesting to contemplate an entangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds singing on the bushes, with various insects flitting about, and with worms crawling through the damp earth, and to reflect that these elaborately constructed forms, so different from each other, and dependent on each other in so complex a manner, have all been produced by laws acting around us. These laws, taken in the largest sense, being Growth with Reproduction; Inheritance which is almost implied by reproduction; Variability from the indirect and direct action of the external conditions of life, and from use and disuse; a Ratio of Increase so high as to lead to a Struggle for Life, and as a consequence to Natural Selection, entailing Divergence of Character and the Extinction of less-improved forms. Thus, from the war of nature, from famine and death, the most exalted object which we are capable of conceiving, namely, the production of the higher animals, directly follows. There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.

 

INDEX.

 

Aberrant groups, 429.

 

Abyssinia, plants of, 375.

 

Acclimatisation, 139.

 

Affinities:

of extinct species, 329.

of organic beings, 411.

 

Agassiz:

on Amblyopsis, 139.

on groups of species suddenly appearing, 302, 305.

on embryological succession, 338.

on the glacial period, 366.

on embryological characters, 418.

on the embryos of vertebrata, 439.

on parallelism of embryological development and geological succession, 449.

 

Algae of New Zealand, 376.

 

Alligators, males, fighting, 88.

 

Amblyopsis, blind fish, 139.

 

America, North:

productions allied to those of Europe, 371.

boulders and glaciers of, 373.

South, no modern formations on west coast, 290.

 

Ammonites, sudden extinction of, 321.

 

Anagallis, sterility of, 247.

 

Analogy of variations, 159.

 

Ancylus, 386.

 

Animals:

not domesticated from being variable, 17.

domestic, descended from several stocks, 19.

acclimatisation of, 141.

of Australia, 116.

with thicker fur in cold climates, 133.

blind, in caves, 137.

extinct, of Australia, 339.

 

Anomma, 240.

 

Antarctic islands, ancient flora of, 399.

 

Antirrhinum, 161.

 

Ants:

attending aphides, 211.

slave-making instinct, 219.

 

Ants, neuter, structure of, 236.

 

Aphides attended by ants, 211.

 

Aphis, development of, 442.

 

Apteryx, 182.

 

Arab horses, 35,

 

Aralo-Caspian Sea, 339.

 

Archiac, M. de, on the succession of species, 325.

 

Artichoke, Jerusalem, 142.

 

Ascension, plants of, 389.

 

Asclepias, pollen of, 193.

 

Asparagus, 359.

 

Aspicarpa, 417.

 

Asses, striped, 163.

 

Ateuchus, 135,

 

Audubon:

on habits of frigate-bird, 185.

on variation in birds’-nests, 212,

on heron eating seeds, 387.

 

Australia:

animals of, 116.

dogs of, 215.

extinct animals of, 339.

European plants in, 375.

 

Azara on flies destroying cattle, 72.

 

Azores, flora of, 363.

 

Babington, Mr., on British plants, 48.

 

Balancement of growth, 147.

 

Bamboo with hooks, 197.

 

Barberry, flowers of, 98.

 

Barrande, M. :

on Silurian colonies, 313.

on the succession of species, 325.

on parallelism of palaeozoic formations, 328.

on affinities of ancient species, 330.

 

Barriers, importance of, 347.

 

Batrachians on islands, 393.

 

Bats:

how structure acquired, 180.

distribution of, 394.

 

Bear, catching water-insects, 184.

 

Bee:

sting of, 202.

queen, killing rivals, 202.

 

Bees fertilising flowers, 73.

 

Bees:

hive, not sucking the red clover, 95.

cell-making instinct, 224.

humble, cells of, 225.

parasitic, 218.

 

Beetles:

wingless, in Madeira, 135.

with deficient tarsi, 135.

 

Bentham, Mr. :

on British plants, 48.

on classification, 419.

 

Berkeley, Mr., on seeds in salt-water, 358.

 

Bermuda, birds of, 391.

 

Birds:

acquiring fear, 212.

annually cross the Atlantic, 364.

colour of, on continents, 132.

fossil, in caves of Brazil, 339.

of Madeira, Bermuda, and Galapagos, 390.

song of males, 89.

transporting seeds, 361.

waders, 386.

wingless, 134, 182.

with traces of embryonic teeth, 451.

 

Bizcacha, 349.

affinities of, 429.

 

Bladder for swimming in fish, 190.

 

Blindness of cave animals, 137,

 

Blyth, Mr. :

on distinctness of Indian cattle, 18.

on striped Hemionus, 163.

on crossed geese, 253.

 

Boar, shoulder-pad of, 88.

 

Borrow, Mr., on the Spanish pointer, 35.

 

Bory St. Vincent on Batrachians, 393.

 

Bosquet, M., on fossil Chthamalus, 304.

 

Boulders, erratic, on the Azores, 363.

 

Branchiae, 190.

 

Brent, Mr. :

on house-tumblers, 214.

on hawks killing pigeons, 362.

 

Brewer, Dr., on American cuckoo, 217.

 

Britain, mammals of, 395.

 

Bronn on duration of specific forms, 293.

 

Brown, Robert, on classification, 414.

 

Buckman on variation in plants, 10.

 

Buzareingues on sterility of varieties, 270.

 

Cabbage, varieties of, crossed, 99.

 

Calceolaria, 251.

 

Canary-birds, sterility of hybrids, 252.

 

Cape de Verde islands, 398.

 

Cape of Good Hope, plants of, 110, 375.

 

Carrier-pigeons killed by hawks, 362.

 

Cassini on flowers of compositae, 145.

 

Catasetum, 424.

 

Cats:

with blue eyes, deaf, 12.

variation in habits of, 91.

curling tail when going to spring, 201.

 

Cattle:

destroying fir-trees, 71.

destroyed by flies in La Plata, 72.

breeds of, locally extinct, 111.

fertility of Indian and European breeds, 254.

 

Cave, inhabitants of, blind, 137.

 

Centres of creation, 352.

 

Cephalopodae, development of, 442.

 

Cervulus, 253.

 

Cetacea, teeth and hair, 144.

 

Ceylon, plants of, 375.

 

Chalk formation, 322.

 

Characters:

divergence of, 111.

sexual, variable, 156.

adaptive or analogical, 427.

 

Charlock, 76,

 

Checks:

to increase, 67.

mutual, 71.

 

Chickens, instinctive tameness of, 216.

 

Chthamalinae, 288.

 

Chthamalus, cretacean species of, 304.

 

Circumstances favourable:

to selection of domestic products, 40.

to natural selection, 101.

 

Cirripedes:

capable of crossing, 101.

carapace aborted, 148.

their ovigerous frena, 192.

fossil, 304.

larvae of, 440.

 

Classification, 413.

 

Clift, Mr., on the succession of types, 339.

 

Climate:

effects of, in checking increase of beings, 68.

adaptation of, to organisms, 139.

 

Cobites, intestine of, 190.

 

Cockroach, 76.

 

Collections, palaeontological, poor, 287.

 

Colour:

influenced by climate, 132.

in relation to attacks by flies, 198.

 

Columba livia, parent of domestic pigeons, 23.

 

Colymbetes, 386.

 

Compensation of growth, 147.

 

Compositae:

outer and inner florets of, 144.

male flowers of, 451.

 

Conclusion, general, 480.

 

Conditions, slight changes in, favourable to fertility, 267.

 

Coot, 185.

 

Coral:

islands, seeds drifted to, 360.

reefs, indicating movements of earth, 309.

 

Corncrake, 185.

 

Correlation:

of growth in domestic productions, 11.

of growth, 143, 198.

 

Cowslip, 49.

 

Creation, single centres of, 352.

 

Crinum, 250.

 

Crosses, reciprocal, 258.

 

Crossing:

of domestic animals, importance in altering breeds, 20.

advantages of, 96.

unfavourable to selection, 102.

 

Crustacea of New Zealand, 376.

 

Crustacean, blind, 137.

 

Cryptocerus, 238.

 

Ctenomys, blind, 137.

 

Cuckoo, instinct of, 216.

 

Currants, grafts of, 262.

 

Currents of sea, rate of, 359.

 

Cuvier:

on conditions of existence, 206.

on fossil monkeys, 303.

 

Cuvier, Fred., on instinct, 208.

 

Dana, Professor:

on blind cave-animals, 139.

on relations of crustaceans of Japan, 372.

on crustaceans of New Zealand, 376.

 

De Candolle:

on struggle for existence, 62.

on umbelliferae, 146.

on general affinities, 430.

 

De Candolle, Alph.:

on low plants, widely dispersed, 406.

on widely-ranging plants being variable, 53.

on naturalisation, 115.

on winged seeds, 146.

on Alpine species suddenly becoming rare, 175.

on distribution of plants with large seeds, 360.

on vegetation of Australia, 379.

on freshwater plants, 386.

on insular plants, 389.

 

Degradation of coast-rocks, 282.

 

Denudation:

rate of, 285.

of oldest rocks, 308.

 

Development of ancient forms, 336.

 

Devonian system, 334.

 

Dianthus, fertility of crosses, 256.

 

Dirt on feet of birds, 362.

 

Dispersal:

means of, 356.

during glacial period, 365.

 

Distribution:

geographical, 346.

means of, 356.

 

Disuse, effects of, under nature, 134.

 

Divergence of character, 111.

 

Division, physiological, of labour, 115.

 

Dogs:

hairless, with imperfect teeth, 12.

descended from several wild stocks, 18.

domestic instincts of, 213.

inherited civilisation of, 215.

fertility of breeds together, 254.

of crosses, 268,

proportions of, when young, 444.

 

Domestication, variation under, 7.

 

Downing, Mr., on fruit-trees in America, 85.

 

Downs, North and South, 285.

 

Dragon-flies, intestines of, 190.

 

Drift-timber, 360.

 

Driver-ant, 240.

 

Drones killed by other bees, 202.

 

Duck:

domestic, wings of, reduced, 11.

logger-headed, 182.

 

Duckweed, 385.

 

Dugong, affinities of, 414.

 

Dung-beetles with deficient tarsi, 135.

 

Dyticus, 386.

 

Earl, Mr. W., on the Malay Archipelago, 395.

 

Ears:

drooping, in domestic animals, 11.

rudimentary, 454.

 

Earth, seeds in roots of trees, 361.

 

Eciton, 238.

 

Economy of organisation, 147.

 

Edentata:

teeth and hair, 144.

fossil species of, 339.

 

Edwards, Milne:

on physiological divisions of labour, 115.

on gradations of structure, 194.

on embryological characters, 418.

 

Eggs, young birds escaping from, 87.

 

Electric organs, 192.

 

Elephant:

rate of increase, 64.

of glacial period, 141.

 

Embryology, 439.

 

Existence:

struggle for, 60.

conditions of, 206.

 

Extinction:

as bearing on natural selection, 109.

of domestic varieties, 111.

317.

 

Eye:

structure of, 187.

correction for aberration, 202.

 

Eyes reduced in moles, 137.

 

Fabre, M., on parasitic sphex, 218.

 

Falconer, Dr. :

on naturalization of plants in India, 65.

on fossil crocodile, 313.

on elephants and mastodons, 334,

and Cautley on mammals of sub-Himalayan beds, 340.

 

Falkland Island, wolf of, 393.

 

Faults, 285.

 

Faunas, marine, 348.

 

Fear, instinctive, in birds, 212.

 

Feet of birds, young molluscs adhering to, 385.

 

Fertility:

of hybrids, 249.

from slight changes in conditions, 267.

of crossed varieties, 267.

 

Fir-trees:

destroyed by cattle, 71.

pollen of, 203.

 

Fish:

flying, 182.

teleostean, sudden appearance of, 305.

eating seeds, 362, 387.

freshwater, distribution of, 384.

 

Fishes:

ganoid, now confined to fresh water, 107.

electric organs of, 192.

ganoid, living in fresh water, 321.

of southern hemisphere, 376.

 

Flight, powers of, how acquired, 182.

 

Flowers:

structure of, in relation to crossing, 97.

of compositae and umbelliferae, 144.

 

Forbes, E. :

on colours of shells, 132.

on abrupt range of shells in depth, 175.

on poorness of palaeontological collections, 287.

on continuous succession of genera, 316.

on continental extensions, 357.

on distribution during glacial period, 366, on parallelism in time and space, 409.

 

Forests, changes in, in America, 74.

 

Formation, Devonian, 334.

 

Formations:

thickness of, in Britain, 284.

intermittent, 290.

 

Formica rufescens, 219.

 

Formica sanguinea, 219.

 

Formica flava, neuter of, 239.

 

Frena, ovigerous, of cirripedes, 192.

 

Freshwater productions, dispersal of, 383.

 

Fries on species in large genera being closely allied to other species, 57.

 

Frigate-bird, 185.

 

Frogs on islands, 393.

 

Fruit-trees:

gradual improvement of, 37.

in United States, 85.

varieties of, acclimatised in United States, 142.

 

Fuci, crossed, 258.

 

Fur, thicker in cold climates, 133.