﻿Origin 
  of 
  Wild 
  Species 
  581 
  

  

  with 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  a 
  presumed 
  mutation. 
  In 
  

   many 
  instances 
  the 
  authors 
  have 
  realized 
  the 
  

   importance 
  of 
  this 
  point, 
  and 
  new 
  types 
  have 
  

   been 
  found 
  constant 
  from 
  the 
  very 
  beginning. 
  

   Many 
  cases 
  are 
  known 
  which 
  show 
  no 
  rever- 
  

   sions 
  and 
  even 
  no 
  partial 
  reversions. 
  This 
  fact 
  

   throws 
  a 
  distinct 
  light 
  on 
  our 
  first 
  point, 
  as 
  it 
  

   makes 
  the 
  hypothesis 
  of 
  a 
  slow 
  and 
  gradual 
  de- 
  

   velopment 
  still 
  more 
  improbable. 
  

  

  My 
  third 
  point 
  is 
  of 
  quite 
  another 
  nature 
  and 
  

   has 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  been 
  dealt 
  with. 
  But 
  as 
  it 
  ap- 
  

   peals 
  to 
  me 
  as 
  the 
  very 
  soul 
  of 
  the 
  problem, 
  

   it 
  seems 
  necessary 
  to 
  describe 
  it 
  in 
  some 
  detail. 
  

   It 
  does 
  not 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  new 
  type 
  itself, 
  nor 
  to 
  

   any 
  of 
  its 
  morphologic 
  or 
  hereditary 
  attributes, 
  

   but 
  directly 
  concerns 
  the 
  presumed 
  ancestors 
  

   themselves. 
  

  

  The 
  peloric 
  toad-flax 
  in 
  my 
  experiment 
  was 
  

   seen 
  to 
  arise 
  thrice 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  strain. 
  Three 
  

   different 
  individuals 
  of 
  my 
  original 
  race 
  showed 
  

   a 
  tendency 
  to 
  produce 
  peloric 
  mutations, 
  and 
  

   they 
  did 
  so 
  in 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  their 
  seeds, 
  exactly 
  

   as 
  the 
  mutations 
  of 
  the 
  evening-primroses 
  were 
  

   repeated 
  nearly 
  every 
  year. 
  Hence 
  the 
  infer- 
  

   ence, 
  that 
  whenever 
  we 
  find 
  a 
  novelty 
  which 
  is 
  

   really 
  of 
  very 
  recent 
  date, 
  the 
  parent-strain 
  

   which 
  has 
  produced 
  it 
  might 
  still 
  be 
  in 
  existence 
  

   on 
  the 
  same 
  spot. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  shrubs 
  or 
  

   perennials 
  the 
  very 
  parents 
  might 
  yet 
  be 
  found. 
  

  

  