On the Origin of Species

by Charles Darwin

Sexual Selection. This depends, not on a struggle for existence, but on a struggle between the males for possession of the females; the result is not death to the unsuccessful competitor, but few or no offspring.

Men aren’t falling behind, but they are being combed by females for attractive traits—a phenomena that exists in nature, per this book. Anti-feminists need not worry, it is a natural phenomena that men should attract their mate via sexual pandering. Be exciting, boys.

Farmers find that they can raise most food by a rotation of plants belonging to the most different orders: nature follows what may be called a simultaneous rotation.

So sad how underused this principle is in modern farming

ourang-outang,

Is he trying to say orangutan?…

But it is difficult to tell, and immaterial for us, whether habits generally change first and structure afterwards; or whether slight modifications of structure lead to changed habits; both probably often change almost simultaneously.

He who believes in the struggle for existence and in the principle of natural selection, will acknowledge that every organic being is constantly endeavouring to increase in numbers; and that if any one being vary ever so little, either in habits or structure, and thus gain an advantage over some other inhabitant of the country, it will seize on the place of that inhabitant, however different it may be from its own place.

"Natura non facit saltum."

we can perhaps understand how it is that the use of the sting should so often cause the insect's own death: for if on the whole the power of stinging be useful to the community, it will fulfil all the requirements of natural selection, though it may cause the death of some few members.

The tides in most cases reach the cliffs only for a short time twice a day, and the waves eat into them only when they are charged with sand or pebbles; for there is reason to believe that pure water can effect little or nothing in wearing away rock.

Who debunked this theory?

conchologists

I may here recall a remark formerly made, namely that it might require a long succession of ages to adapt an organism to some new and peculiar line of life, for instance to fly through the air; but that when this had been effected, and a few species had thus acquired a great advantage over other organisms, a comparatively short time would be necessary to produce many divergent forms, which would be able to spread rapidly and widely throughout the world.

Angiosperms

The productions of the land seem to change at a quicker rate than those of the sea,

lately advanced in an ingenious paper by Mr. Wallace, in which he concludes, that "every species has come into existence coincident both in space and time with a pre-existing closely allied species."

Why do we learn they were rivals? They liked and learned from each other surely, both advancing the same field.

Until I tried, with Mr. Berkeley's aid,

WHO IS MR BERKELEY?

in New Zealand gigantic wingless birds,

Aint NO way Isle of Flightless Birds by TØP just came on shuffle I CANT LIE

we shall soon have much light thrown on the natural history of this archipelago by the admirable zeal and researches of Mr. Wallace.

Darwin’s so nice to him dude why are they villains in HS/undergrad education

As exemplifying the effects of climatal changes on distribution, I have attempted to show how important has been the influence of the modern Glacial period, which I am fully convinced simultaneously affected the whole world, or at least great meridional belts.

Epochs are interesting

The whole subject is included under the general name of Morphology. This is the most interesting department of natural history, and may be said to be its very soul.