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CHAP. VI DIFFICULTIES AND OBJECTIONS 127 



grounds for the objection above made, that such small and 

 slight variations could be of no real use, and would not 

 determine the survival of the individuals possessing them. We 

 have seen, however, in our third chapter, that even DarAvin's 

 terms Avere hardly justified; and that the variability of many im- 

 portant species is of considerable amount, and may very often 

 be propei'ly described as large. As this is found to be the 

 case both in animals and plants, and in all their chief groups 

 and subdi\asions, and also to apply to all the separate parts 

 and organs that have been compared, we must take it as 

 proved that the average amount of variability presents no 

 difficulty whatever in the way of the action of natural selection. 

 It may be here mentioned that, up to the time of the prepara- 

 tion of the last edition of The Origin of Species, Dar^vin had 

 not seen the work of Mr. J. A. Allen of Harvard University 

 (then only just published), which gave us the first body of accu- 

 rate comparisons and measurements demonstrating this large 

 amount of variability. Since then eAddence of this nature 

 has been accumulating, and we are, therefore, now in a far 

 better position to appreciate the facilities for natural selection, 

 in this respect, than Avas Mr. DarAvin himself. 



Another objection of a similar nature is, that the chances 

 are immensely against the right variation or combination of 

 A^ariations occurring just AA^hen required ; and further, that no 

 variation can be perpetuated that is not accompanied by 

 several concomit ant variations of dependent parts — greater 

 length of a Aving in a bu*d, for example, Avould be of little use i 

 if unaccompanied by increased A'olume or contractility of the i 

 muscles Avhich move it. This objection seemed a A^ery strong 

 one so long as it Avas supposed that variations occurred singly 

 and at considerable intervals ; but it ceases to have any Aveight 1 

 noAv Ave knoAv that they occur simultaneously in A'arious parts (\ , 

 of the organism, and also in a large proportion of the in- , 

 dividuals AAdiich make up the species. A considerable number 

 of indiAdduals Avill, therefore, every year possess the requked 

 combination of characters ; and it may also be considered 

 probable that Avhen the tAvo characters are such that they 

 aJAA^ays ad together, there Avill be such a correlation betAA'een 

 them that they aa^U frequently vary together. But there is 

 another consideration that seems to shoAV that this coincident 



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