The Origin of Species 
by means of Natural Selection;

or, the
Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.

By Charles Darwin, M.A., F.R.S., 
Author of "The Descent of Man," etc., etc.

Contents

• AN HISTORICAL SKETCH
  OF THE PROGRESS OF OPINION ON THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES

• INTRODUCTION.

Chapter I.

·         Variation Under Domestication.

• Causes Of Variability.
• Effects Of Habit And Of The Use Or Disuse Of Parts; Correlated Variation; Inheritance.
• Character Of Domestic Varieties; Difficulty Of Distinguishing Between Varieties And Species; Origin Of Domestic Varieties From One Or More Species.
• Breeds Of The Domestic Pigeon, Their Differences And Origin.
• Principles Of Selection Anciently Followed, And Their Effects.
• Unconscious Selection.
• Circumstances Favourable To Man's Power Of Selection.

Chapter II.

·         Variation Under Nature.

• Individual Differences.
• Doubtful Species.
• Wide-ranging, Much Diffused, And Common Species Vary Most.
• Species Of The Larger Genera In Each Country Vary More Frequently Than The Species Of The Smaller Genera.
• Many Of The Species Included Within The Larger Genera Resemble Varieties In Being Very Closely, But Unequally, Related To Each Other, And In Having Restricted Ranges.
• Summary.

Chapter III.

·         Struggle For Existence.

• The Term, Struggle For Existence, Used In A Large Sense.
• Geometrical Ratio Of Increase.
• Nature Of The Checks To Increase.
• Complex Relations Of All Animals And Plants To Each Other In The Struggle For Existence.
• Struggle For Life Most Severe Between Individuals And Varieties Of The Same Species.

Chapter IV.

·         Natural Selection; Or The Survival Of The Fittest.

• Sexual Selection.
• Illustrations Of The Action Of Natural Selection, Or The Survival Of The Fittest.
• On The Intercrossing Of Individuals.
• Circumstances Favourable For The Production Of New Forms Through Natural Selection.
• Extinction Caused By Natural Selection.
• Divergence Of Character.
• The Probable Effects Of The Action Of Natural Selection Through Divergence Of Character And Extinction, On The Descendants Of A Common Ancestor.
• On The Degree To Which Organisation Tends To Advance.
• Convergence Of Character.
• Summary Of Chapter.

Chapter V.

·         Laws Of Variation.

• Effects Of The Increased Use And Disuse Of Parts, As Controlled By Natural Selection.
• Acclimatisation.
• Correlated Variation.
• Compensation And Economy Of Growth.
• Multiple, Rudimentary, And Lowly-organised Structures Are Variable.
• A Part Developed In Any Species In An Extraordinary Degree Or Manner, In Comparison With The Same Part In Allied Species, Tends To Be Highly Variable.
• Specific Characters More Variable Than Generic Characters.
• Secondary Sexual Characters Variable.
• Distinct Species Present Analogous Variations, So That A Variety Of One Species Often Assumes A Character Proper To An Allied Species, Or Reverts To Some Of The Characters Of An Early Progenitor.
• Summary.

Chapter VI.

·         Difficulties Of The Theory.

• On The Absence Or Rarity Of Transitional Varieties.
• On The Origin And Transition Of Organic Beings With Peculiar Habits And Structure.
• Organs Of Extreme Perfection And Complication.
• Special Difficulties Of The Theory Of Natural Selection.
• Organs Of Little Apparent Importance, As Affected By Natural Selection.
• Utilitarian Doctrine, How Far True:  Beauty, How Acquired.
• Summary:  The Law Of Unity Of Type And Of The Conditions Of Existence Embraced By The Theory Of Natural Selection.

Chapter VII.

·         Miscellaneous Objections To The Theory Of Natural Selection.

Chapter VIII.

·         Instinct.

• Inherited Changes Of Habit Or Instinct In Domesticated Animals.
• Special Instincts.
• Instincts Of The Cuckoo.
• Slave-making Instinct.
• Cell-making Instinct Of The Hive-bee.
• Objections To The Theory Of Natural Selection As Applied To Instincts:  Neuter And Sterile Insects.
• Summary.

Chapter IX.

·         Hybridism.

• Degrees Of Sterility.
• Laws Governing The Sterility Of First Crosses And Of Hybrids.
• Origin And Causes Of The Sterility Of First Crosses And Of Hybrids.
• Reciprocal Dimorphism And Trimorphism.
• Fertility Of Varieties When Crossed, And Of Their Mongrel Offspring, Not Universal.
• Hybrids And Mongrels Compared, Independently Of Their Fertility.
• Summary Of Chapter.

Chapter X.

·         On The Imperfection Of The Geological Record.

• On The Lapse Of Time, As Inferred From The Rate Of Deposition And Extent Of Denudation.
• On The Poorness Of Palaeontological Collections.
• On The Absence Of Numerous Intermediate Varieties In Any Single Formation.
• On The Sudden Appearance Of Whole Groups Of Allied Species.
• On The Sudden Appearance Of Groups Of Allied Species In The Lowest Known Fossiliferous Strata.

Chapter XI.

·         On The Geological Succession Of Organic Beings.

• On Extinction.
• On The Forms Of Life Changing Almost Simultaneously Throughout The World.
• On The Affinities Of Extinct Species To Each Other, And To Living Forms.
• On The State Of Development Of Ancient Compared With Living Forms.
• On The Succession Of The Same Types Within The Same Areas, During The Later Tertiary Periods.
• Summary Of The Preceding And Present Chapters.

Chapter XII.

·         Geographical Distribution.

• Single Centres Of Supposed Creation.
• Means Of Dispersal.
• Dispersal During The Glacial Period.
• Alternate Glacial Periods In The North And South.

Chapter XIII.

·         Fresh-water Productions.

• On The Inhabitants Of Oceanic Islands.
• Absence Of Batrachians And Terrestrial Mammals On Oceanic Islands.
• On The Relations Of The Inhabitants Of Islands To Those Of The Nearest Mainland.
• Summary Of The Last And Present Chapters.

Chapter XIV.

·         Mutual Affinities Of Organic Beings:  Morphology -- Embryology --  Rudimentary Organs.

• Classification.
• Analogical Resemblances.
• On The Nature Of The Affinities Connecting Organic Beings.
• Morphology.
• Development And Embryology.
• Rudimentary, Atrophied, And Aborted Organs.
• Summary.

Chapter XV.

·         Recapitulation And Conclusion.

• GLOSSARY OF THE PRINCIPAL SCIENTIFIC TERMS USED IN THE PRESENT VOLUME.

• INDEX.

[ Table of Contents ] [ An Historical Sketch ] [ INTRODUCTION. ] [ CHAPTER I. ] [ CHAPTER II. ] [ CHAPTER III. ] [ CHAPTER IV. ] [ CHAPTER V. ] [ CHAPTER VI. ] [ CHAPTER VII. ] [ CHAPTER VIII. ] [ CHAPTER IX. ] [ CHAPTER X. ] [ CHAPTER XI. ] [ CHAPTER XII. ] [ CHAPTER XIII. ] [ CHAPTER XIV. ] [ CHAPTER XV. ] [ GLOSSARY ] [ INDEX. ]

[ 홈 ] [ The Autobiography of Charles Darwin ] [ The Autobiography of Charles Darwin ] [ Origin of Species ] [ The Descent of Man ] [ The Voyage of Beagle ] [ About Charles Robert Darwin ]