﻿Origin 
  of 
  Wild 
  Species 
  597 
  

  

  pendently 
  at 
  least 
  thrice, 
  at 
  different 
  periods 
  

   and 
  in 
  distant 
  localities. 
  

  

  From 
  all 
  these 
  statements 
  and 
  a 
  good 
  many 
  

   others 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  horticultural 
  and 
  

   botanical 
  literature, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  inferred 
  that 
  

   mutations 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  very 
  rare 
  in 
  nature 
  as 
  is 
  

   often 
  supposed. 
  Moreover 
  we 
  may 
  conclude 
  

   that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  general 
  rule 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  neither 
  

   preceded 
  nor 
  accompanied 
  by 
  intermediate 
  

   steps, 
  and 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  ordinarily 
  constant 
  

   from 
  seed 
  from 
  the 
  first. 
  

  

  Why 
  then 
  are 
  they 
  not 
  met 
  with 
  more 
  often? 
  

   In 
  my 
  opinion 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  struggle 
  for 
  life 
  which 
  is 
  

   the 
  cause 
  of 
  this 
  apparent 
  rarity 
  ; 
  which 
  is 
  noth- 
  

   ing 
  else 
  than 
  the 
  premature 
  death 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  in- 
  

   dividuals 
  that 
  so 
  vary 
  from 
  the 
  common 
  type 
  of 
  

   their 
  species 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  incapable 
  of 
  development 
  

   under 
  prevailing 
  circumstances. 
  It 
  is 
  obvious- 
  

   ly 
  without 
  consequence 
  whether 
  these 
  deviations 
  

   are 
  of 
  a 
  fluctuating 
  or 
  of 
  a 
  mutating 
  nature. 
  

   Hence 
  we 
  may 
  conclude 
  that 
  useless 
  mutations 
  

   will 
  soon 
  die 
  out 
  and 
  will 
  disappear 
  without 
  

   leaving 
  any 
  progeny. 
  Even 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  again 
  and 
  again 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  strain, 
  but 
  

   under 
  the 
  same 
  unfavorable 
  conditions, 
  there 
  

   will 
  be 
  no 
  appreciable 
  result, 
  

  

  Thousands 
  of 
  mutations 
  may 
  perhaps 
  take 
  

   place 
  yearly 
  among 
  the 
  plants 
  of 
  our 
  immediate 
  

   vicinity 
  without 
  any 
  chance 
  of 
  being 
  discovered. 
  

  

  