登陆注册
15712300000006

第6章

The Baker-street Bazaar has just been exhibiting its familiar annual spectacle. Straight-backed, small-headed, big-barrelled oxen, as dissimilar from any wild species as can well be imagined, contended for attention and praise with sheep of half-a-dozen different breeds and styes of bloated preposterous pigs, no more like a wild boar or sow than a city alderman is like an ourang-outang. The cattle show has been, and perhaps may again be, succeeded by a poultry show, of whose crowing and clucking prodigies it can only be certainly predicated that they will be very unlike the aboriginal 'Phasianus gallus'. If the seeker after animal anomalies is not satisfied, a turn or two in Seven Dials will convince him that the breeds of pigeons are quite as extraordinary and unlike one another and their parent stock, while the Horticultural Society will provide him with any number of corresponding vegetable aberrations from nature's types. He will learn with no little surprise, too, in the course of his travels, that the proprietors and producers of these animal and vegetable anomalies regard them as distinct species, with a firm belief, the strength of which is exactly proportioned to their ignorance of scientific biology, and which is the more remarkable as they are all proud of their skill in 'originating'

such "species."

On careful inquiry it is found that all these, and the many other artificial breeds or races of animals and plants, have been produced by one method. The breeder--and a skilful one must be a person of much sagacity and natural or acquired perceptive faculty--notes some slight difference, arising he knows not how, in some individuals of his stock.

If he wish to perpetuate the difference, to form a breed with the peculiarity in question strongly marked, he selects such male and female individuals as exhibit the desired character, and breeds from them. Their offspring are then carefully examined, and those which exhibit the peculiarity the most distinctly are selected for breeding, and this operation is repeated until the desired amount of divergence from the primitive stock is reached. It is then found that by continuing the process of selection--always breeding, that is, from well-marked forms, and allowing no impure crosses to interfere,--a race may be formed, the tendency of which to reproduce itself is exceedingly strong; nor is the limit to the amount of divergence which may be thus produced known, but one thing is certain, that, if certain breeds of dogs, or of pigeons, or of horses, were known only in a fossil state, no naturalist would hesitate in regarding them as distinct species.

But, in all these cases we have 'human interference'. Without the breeder there would be no selection, and without the selection no race. Before admitting the possibility of natural species having originated in any similar way, it must be proved that there is in nature some power which takes the place of man, and performs a selection 'sua sponte'. It is the claim of Mr. Darwin that he professes to have discovered the existence and the 'modus operandi' of this natural selection, as he terms it; and, if he be right, the process is perfectly simple and comprehensible, and irresistibly deducible from very familiar but well nigh forgotten facts.

同类推荐
  • 玄珠心镜注

    玄珠心镜注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 普庵印肃禅师语录

    普庵印肃禅师语录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • Gargantua and Pantagruel

    Gargantua and Pantagruel

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 国朝宋学渊源记

    国朝宋学渊源记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 供诸天科仪

    供诸天科仪

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 一个佣兵长的故事

    一个佣兵长的故事

    在落日大陆上,一个退伍士兵的传奇人生,各种稀奇古怪的事情和形形色色的人物。
  • 边伯贤之拈花一笑醉流景

    边伯贤之拈花一笑醉流景

    即使你已经不爱我了,即使你已经忘记我了,即使我已经从这个世界消失,我依然会爱着你,我会去找一个天使让它替我来爱你。如果有一天,我爱的人们不在了,我会怎样?他们都是天使,那我也要是天使,会努力活得很快乐,不让自己的眼睛看到悲伤。
  • CLOTELLE

    CLOTELLE

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 魔法代记

    魔法代记

    在一个巨大的深坑中醒来的少年,识海破碎,身体重创。被隐世强者村长所救,然而在无意中放出的一个魔法之后,遭到驱逐,无奈离开的少年来到堪萨斯城,开始自己的魔法生涯,然而他自己也没有料到自己会掀起一场魔法浪潮,改变了整个阿尔法大陆的格局。
  • 仙判之路

    仙判之路

    简介:地球末法时代后期,天降神碑于现代都市,有域外修士降临。昆仑山崩断,大道复苏,秦明为追寻神话修仙的踪迹,而随域外修士前往了异域。问道仙判,敢问路在何方?修仙尽头,只为追寻那一丝成仙的契机。不在风华绝代之时成至尊,便在气血枯败之际化腐朽!
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 校恋车轮战

    校恋车轮战

    “恐龙女怎么样做我女朋友呗,你看,一个极品帅哥跟一只恐龙妹在一起,回头率会不会超高?”林泽安一脸戏谑地看着陆苡希。“丑男我叫陆苡希有名字的!”“我也有名字我叫林泽安不许叫丑男,我丑你还乐意跟我同桌么?”陆苡希被林泽安急哭了,整整生了一晚上的闷气。这一对天生的冤家会擦出怎样的火花呢?
  • 5分钟美容

    5分钟美容

    只有注重自己身体的每一个细节,才能展现健康女性的魅力。本书的宗旨是让你懂得如何呵护自己的形象,成为自己的美容专家。书中介绍了简便易行的运动、按摩、香熏、祛斑、美发、美甲、抗皱、饮食调理等方方面面的美容小知识,让你走出美容误区,焕发动人光彩。编者在本书中收录了数十种美容菜谱、汤谱、酒谱、药谱等,可以帮你在很短的时间内了解有关美容的多种食疗方法。但是因每个人的体质和生活方式不同,所以读者在进行食物美容前一定要清楚地了解自己的身体状况,对症下药,不要盲目地进行美容。
  • 穿梭猎者

    穿梭猎者

    一个孤儿穿梭者,在最强杀手的帮助下,获得穿梭工具,来到一个个位面。特殊的能力,让他独树一帜,却又引来了杀手组织的觊觎,他又如何从一个nobody成为最强王者?又会有多少人为之魂归?
  • 凯源玺的专属天使

    凯源玺的专属天使

    三个女孩初次到重庆人生地不熟,又被坏人挟持,还好tfboys出手相救…………