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  Retrograde 
  Varieties 
  

  

  are 
  referred 
  is 
  not 
  a 
  really 
  existing 
  form, 
  but 
  is 
  

   the 
  abstraction 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  type 
  of 
  all, 
  just 
  

   as 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  a 
  genus 
  or 
  of 
  a 
  family. 
  

  

  Summarizing 
  the 
  main 
  points 
  of 
  this 
  discus- 
  

   sion, 
  we 
  find 
  that 
  elementary 
  species 
  are 
  of 
  

   equal 
  rank 
  and 
  together 
  build 
  up 
  the 
  collective 
  

   or 
  systematic 
  ideal 
  species. 
  Varieties 
  on 
  the 
  

   other 
  hand 
  are 
  derived 
  from 
  a 
  real 
  and 
  com- 
  

   monly, 
  still 
  existing 
  type. 
  

  

  I 
  hope 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  succeeded 
  in 
  showing 
  that 
  

   the 
  difference 
  between 
  elementary 
  species, 
  or, 
  as 
  

   they 
  are 
  often 
  called, 
  smaller 
  or 
  subspecies, 
  on 
  

   the 
  one 
  hand 
  and 
  varieties 
  on 
  the 
  other, 
  is 
  quite 
  

   a 
  marked 
  one. 
  However, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  recognize 
  

   this 
  principle 
  it 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  limit 
  the 
  term 
  

   variety, 
  to 
  those 
  propagating 
  themselves 
  by 
  

   seed 
  and 
  are 
  of 
  pure 
  and 
  not 
  of 
  hybrid 
  origin. 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  principle 
  as 
  stated 
  here, 
  does 
  not 
  in- 
  

   volve 
  an 
  absolute 
  contrast 
  between 
  two 
  groups 
  

   of 
  characters. 
  It 
  is 
  more 
  a 
  difference 
  in 
  our 
  

   knowledge 
  and 
  appreciation 
  of 
  them 
  than 
  a 
  dif- 
  

   ference 
  in 
  the 
  things 
  themselves. 
  The 
  characters 
  

   of 
  elementary 
  species 
  are, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  new 
  to 
  us, 
  

   while 
  those 
  of 
  varieties 
  are 
  old 
  and 
  familiar. 
  

   It 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  essential 
  point. 
  

  

  And 
  what 
  is 
  it 
  that 
  makes 
  us 
  familiar 
  with 
  

   them? 
  Obviously 
  the 
  continuous 
  recurrence 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  changes, 
  because 
  by 
  a 
  constant 
  repeti- 
  

   tion 
  they 
  must 
  of 
  course 
  lose 
  their 
  novelty. 
  

  

  