﻿124 
  Retrograde 
  Varieties 
  

  

  variety 
  and 
  need 
  only 
  compare 
  these 
  differ- 
  

   ences 
  with 
  those 
  that 
  distinguish 
  the 
  elementary 
  

   species 
  of 
  one 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  group 
  from 
  each 
  

   other. 
  

  

  Two 
  points 
  are 
  very 
  striking. 
  By 
  far 
  the 
  

   greatest 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  garden-varieties 
  

   differ 
  from 
  their 
  species 
  by 
  a 
  single 
  sharp 
  char- 
  

   acter 
  only. 
  In 
  derivative 
  cases 
  two, 
  three 
  or 
  

   even 
  more 
  such 
  characters 
  may 
  be 
  combined 
  in 
  

   one 
  variety, 
  for 
  instance, 
  a 
  dwarfed 
  variety 
  of 
  

   the 
  larkspur 
  may 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  bear 
  white 
  

   flowers, 
  or 
  even 
  double 
  white 
  flowers, 
  but 
  the 
  

   individuality 
  of 
  the 
  single 
  characters 
  is 
  not 
  in 
  

   the 
  least 
  obscured 
  by 
  such 
  combinations. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  point 
  is 
  the 
  almost 
  general 
  oc- 
  

   currence 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  variety 
  in 
  extended 
  series 
  

   of 
  species. 
  White 
  and 
  double 
  flowers, 
  varie- 
  

   gated 
  leaves, 
  dwarfs 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  instances 
  

   may 
  be 
  cited. 
  It 
  is 
  precisely 
  this 
  universal 
  

   repetition 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  character 
  that 
  strikes 
  us 
  

   as 
  the 
  essential 
  feature 
  of 
  a 
  variety. 
  

  

  And 
  again 
  these 
  two 
  characteristics 
  may 
  now 
  

   be 
  considered 
  separately. 
  Let 
  us 
  begin 
  with 
  

   the 
  sharpness 
  of 
  the 
  varietal 
  characters. 
  In 
  

   this 
  respect 
  varieties 
  differ 
  most 
  obviously 
  

   from 
  elementary 
  species. 
  These 
  are 
  distin- 
  

   guished 
  from 
  their 
  nearest 
  allies 
  in 
  almost 
  all 
  

   organs. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  prominent 
  distinctive 
  

   feature 
  between 
  the 
  single 
  forms 
  of 
  Drab 
  a 
  

  

  