1 857.] VARIABILITY, 97 



myself as a poor compiler as heartily as you could do, though 

 I do not despise my whole work, as I think there is enough 

 known to lay a foundation for the discussion on the origin of 

 species. I have been led to despise and laugh at myself 

 as a compiler, for having put down that " Alpine plants have 

 large flowers," and now perhaps I may write over these very 

 words, " Alpine plants have small or apetalous flowers ! ' . . . 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



Down [May] i6th [1857]. 



MY DEAR HOOKER, You said I hope honestly that 

 you did not dislike my asking questions on general points, 

 you of course answering or not as time and inclination 

 might serve. I find in the animal kingdom that .... 

 any part or organ developed normally, (i.e. not a mon- 

 strosity) in a species in any high or unusual degree, com- 

 pared with the same part or organ in allied species, tends 

 to be highly variable. I cannot doubt this from my mass 

 of collected facts. To give an instance, the Cross-bill is very 

 abnormal in the structure of its bill compared with other 

 allied Fringillidae, and the beak is eminently variable. The 

 Himantopus, remarkable from the wonderful length of its legs, 

 is very variable in the length of its legs. I could give many 

 most striking and curious illustrations in all classes ; so many 

 that I think it cannot be chance. But I have none in the 

 vegetable kingdom, owing, as I believe, to my ignorance. 

 If Nepenthes consisted of one or two species in a group with 

 a pitcher developed, then I should have expected it to have 

 been very variable ; but I do not consider Nepenthes a case 

 in point, for when a whole genus or group has an organ, 

 however anomalous, I do not expect it to be variable, 

 it is only when one or few species differ greatly in some one 

 part or organ from the forms closely allied to it in all other 

 respects, that I believe such part or organ to be highly vari- 



VOL. II. H 



