NATURAL SELECTION 7 



forms descending from one common type 1 . I speak 

 of the variation of the existing great divisions of the 

 organised kingdom, how far I would go, hereafter to 



be seen. 



Before considering whether (there) be any natural 

 means of selection, and secondly (which forms the 

 2nd Part of this sketch) the far more important 

 point whether the characters and relations of 

 animated (things) are such as favour the idea of 

 wild species being races (?) descended from a com- 

 mon stock, as the varieties of potato or dahlia or 

 cattle having so descended, let us consider probable 

 character of [selected races] wild varieties. 



Natural Selection. De Candolle's war of nature,- 

 seeing contented face of nature, may be well at 

 first doubted; we see it on borders of perpetual 

 cold 2 . But considering the enormous geometrical 

 power of increase in every organism and as (?) every 

 country, in ordinary cases (countries) must be 

 stocked to full extent, reflection will show that 

 this is the case. Malthus on man, in animals no 

 moral [check] restraint (?) they breed in time of 

 year when provision most abundant, or season most 

 favourable, every country has its seasons, calculate 

 robins, oscillating from years of destruction 3 . If 

 proof were wanted let any singular change of 

 climate (occur) here (?), how astoundingly some 

 tribes (?) increase, also introduced animals 4 , the 



1 Note in the original. "Good place to introduce, saying reasons 

 hereafter to be given, how far I extend theory, say to all mammalia 

 reasons growing weaker and weaker." 



2 See Origin, Ed. i. pp. 62, 63, vi. p. 77, where similar reference is made 

 to De Candolle ; for Malthus see Origin, p. 5. 



3 This may possibly refer to the amount of destruction going on. See 

 Origin, Ed. i. p. 68, vi. p. 84, where there is an estimate of a later date as 

 to death-rate of birds in winter. " Calculate robins " probably refers to a 

 calculation of the rate of increase of birds under favourable conditions. 



4 In the Origin, Ed. i. pp. 64, 65, vi. p. 80, he instances cattle and horses 

 and certain plants in S. America and American species of plants in India, 

 and further on, as unexpected effects of changed conditions, the enclosure 

 of a heath, and the relation between the fertilisation of clover and the 

 presence of cats (Origin, Ed. i. p. 74, vi. p. 91). 



