440 CONCLUDING REMARKS. 



The state of the individuals, previous to their develop- 

 ment of positive variations, is a deficient, physiological 

 condition, due to their deficient, structural condition. 

 Their positive variation is a structural return, which is 

 attended by a return to a perfect physiological condi- 

 tion. The same result is effected by Crossing. By this 

 process, two individuals which have made structural 

 returns, in different ways or in different characters, 

 toward the original mould of their common species, 

 combine those characters, or the bases thereof, in their 

 offspring; and the augmented return, so induced, meets 

 with a proportional response in the gain in fertility 

 and vigor which is ever then observed. 



If the variation, under domestication, be of a nega- 

 tive character, the departure from the normal type is 

 then evidenced by the lessened vigor and lessened fer- 

 tility which mark this departure from physiological in- 

 tegrity, which follows fast upon any departure from 

 structural integrity. 



As, then, the reduction, or suppression of any char- 

 acter, is ever observed to entail physiological evil, 

 the deficient physiological condition of any organisms, 

 in a state of nature, or when just placed under domesti- 

 cation, must imply the reduction and suppression of 

 some characters in those individuals ; and, it follows 

 that any development, subsequently under domestica- 

 tion, of positive variations, must be the recovery, 

 merely, of such lost characters — especially, as it is 

 observed, that the regain of such lost characters, or the 

 ' appearance of such variations, is attended by a like 

 and proportional decrease of the physiological, evil 



