e it.

As all the species of the same genus are supposed, on my theory, to have
descended from a common parent, it might be expected that they would
occasionally vary in an analogous manner; so that a variety of one species
would resemble in some of its characters another species; this other
species being on my view only a well-marked and permanent variety. But
characters thus gained would probably be of an unimportant nature, for the
presence of all important characters will be governed by natural selection,
in accordance with the diverse habits of the species, and will not be left
to the mutual action of the conditions of life and of a similar inherited
constitution. It might further be expected that the species of the same
genus would occasionally exhibit reversions to lost ancestral characters.
As, however, we never know the exact character of the common ancestor of a
group, we could not distinguish these two {162} cases: if, for instance, we
did not know that the rock-pigeon was not feather-footed or turn-crowned,
we could not have told, whether these characters in our domestic breeds
were reversions or only analogous variations; but we might have inferred
that the blueness was a case of reversion, from the number of the markings,
which are correlated with the blue tint, and which it does not appear
probable would all appear together from simple variation. More especially
we might have inferred this, from the blue colour and marks so often
appearing when distinct breeds of diverse colours are crossed. Hence,
though under nature it must generally be left doubtful, what cases are
reversions to an anciently existing character, and what are new but
analogous variations, yet we ought, on my theory, sometimes to find the
varying offspring of a species assuming characters (either from reversion
or from analogous variation) which already occur in some other members of
the same group. And this undoubtedly is the case in nature.

A considerable part of the difficulty in recognising a variable species in
our systematic works, is due to its varieties mocking, as it were, some of
the other species of the same genus. A considerable catalogue, also, could
be given of forms intermediate between two other forms, which themselves
must be doubtfully ranked as either varieties or species; and this shows,
unless all these forms be considered as independently created species, that
the one in varying has assumed some of the characters of