NATURAL SELECTION 9 



formerly derived its chief sustenance by springing 

 on rabbits or running them by scent, must decrease 

 too and might thus readily become exterminated. 

 But if its form varied very slightly, the long legged 

 fleet ones, during a thousand years being selected, 

 and the less fleet rigidly destroyed must, if no law 

 of nature be opposed to it, alter forms. 



Remember how soon Bakewell on the same 

 principle altered cattle and Western, sheep, care- 

 fully avoiding a cross (pigeons) with any breed. We 

 cannot suppose that one plant tends to vary in fruit 

 and another in flower, and another in flower and 

 foliage, some have been selected for both fruit and 

 flower: that one animal varies in its covering and 

 another not, another in its milk. Take any 

 organism and ask what is it useful for and on that 

 point it will be found to vary, cabbages in their 

 leaf, corn in size (and) quality of grain, both in 

 times of year, kidney beans for young pod and 

 cotton for envelope of seeds &c. &c.: dogs in intellect, 

 courage, fleetness and smell (?): pigeons in pecu- 

 liarities approaching to monsters. This requires 

 consideration, should be introduced in first chapter 

 if it holds, I believe it does. It is hypothetical at 

 best 1 . 



Nature's variation far less, but such selection far 

 more rigid and scrutinising. Man's races not [even 

 so well] only not better adapted to conditions than 

 other races, but often not (?) one race adapted to its 

 conditions, as man keeps and propagates some 

 alpine plants in garden. Nature lets (an) animal 

 live, till on actual proof it is found less able to do 

 the required work to serve the desired end, man 

 judges solely by his eye, and knows not whether 



1 Compare Origin, Ed. i. p. 41, vi. p. 47. "I have seen it gravely 

 remarked, that it was most fortunate that the strawberry began to vary 

 just when gardeners began to attend closely to this plant. No doubt the 

 strawberry had always varied since it was cultivated, but the slight varieties 

 had been neglected." 



