THE CROSSING, &C, OF PIGEONS AND FOWLS. 253 



ture which such divergence ordinarily implies. Each 

 highly-bred, divergent variety obviously lacks all of 

 the positive peculiarities of the other varieties of its 

 species. It generally lacks even more characters, than 

 these. The more varieties, with positive peculiarities, 

 there are, within a species, the greater, generally, is 

 the number of characters which each such variety 

 lacks. Therefore, the evils of close-interbreeding tell 

 sooner, and are the most disastrous, with the most 

 divergent varieties. 



Those who do not discern the method, in Darwin's 

 seeming candor, may express surprise, that this con- 

 stant relation, — traceable between lessened fertility, 

 and the absence or reduction, in the individuals, of 

 characters which belong to the given species, — should 

 not have suggested itself to Darwin. But, it is mani- 

 fest, that, if he saw this relation, it must have occurred 

 to him, that it was to the interest of his strained 

 hypothesis, that it should not appear; for, it forcibly, 

 and necessarily implies, that all of " the characters, 

 possible to be developed in any individual, belong to 

 each and every individual of that species ; and, that 

 divergent varieties subsist, in derogation of their full 

 vigor and fertility. 



But, why, — it may be urged, — is it, that Darwin 

 states the facts, which thus tell against his hypothe- 

 sis, so fully and so clearly? The reason is, that 

 the possibility of such relation being perceived, was, 

 to his mind, very remote ; whereas, there stood, like 

 Fate, confronting his hypothesis, the objection of the 



sterility of hybrids, which was an inevitable and well- 

 22* 



