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The Origin of Species

The Origin of Species

by Charles Darwin

A distinguished amateur scientist lays out the evidence for the origin of species by means of natural selection.

Languages
English·Español
License
Public Domain
Originally published
1859
Latest release
Jul 28, 2026
Pages
664
Format
6 × 9 in (152 × 229 mm)
Book type
Novel
Read
Public page

Table of Contents

  1. Epigraph
  2. An Historical Sketch of the Progress of Opinion on the Origin of Species, Previously to the Publication of the First Edi
  3. Introduction
  4. I. Variation Under Domestication
  5. Causes of Variability
  6. Effects of Habit and of the Use or Disuse of Parts; Correlated Variation; Inheritance
  7. Character of Domestic Varieties; Difficulty of Distinguishing Between Varieties and Species; Origin of Domestic Varietie
  8. Breeds of the Domestic Pigeon, Their Differences and Origin
  9. Principles of Selection Anciently Followed, and Their Effects
  10. Unconscious Selection
  11. Circumstances Favourable to Man’s Power of Selection
  12. II. Variation Under Nature
  13. Individual Differences
  14. Doubtful Species
  15. Wide-Ranging, Much Diffused, and Common Species Vary Most
  16. Species of the Larger Genera in Each Country Vary More Frequently Than the Species of the Smaller Genera
  17. Many of the Species Included Within the Larger Genera Resemble Varieties in Being Very Closely, but Unequally, Related t
  18. Summary
  19. III. Struggle for Existence
  20. The Term, Struggle for Existence, Used in a Large Sense
  21. Geometrical Ratio of Increase
  22. Nature of the Checks to Increase
  23. Complex Relations of All Animals and Plants to Each Other in the Struggle for Existence
  24. Struggle for Life Most Severe Between Individuals and Varieties of the Same Species
  25. IV. Natural Selection
  26. Sexual Selection
  27. Illustrations of the Action of Natural Selection, or the Survival of the Fittest
  28. On the Intercrossing of Individuals
  29. Circumstances Favourable for the Production of New Forms Through Natural Selection
  30. Extinction Caused by Natural Selection
  31. Divergence of Character
  32. The Probable Effects of the Action of Natural Selection Through Divergence of Character and Extinction, on the Descendan
  33. On the Degree to Which Organisation Tends to Advance
  34. Convergence of Character
  35. Summary of Chapter
  36. V. Laws of Variation
  37. Effects of the Increased Use and Disuse of Parts, as Controlled by Natural Selection
  38. Acclimatisation
  39. Correlated Variation
  40. Compensation and Economy of Growth
  41. Multiple, Rudimentary, and Lowly-Organised Structures Are Variable
  42. A Part Developed in Any Species in an Extraordinary Degree or Manner, in Comparison with the Same Part in Allied Species
  43. Specific Characters More Variable Than Generic Characters
  44. Secondary Sexual Characters Variable
  45. Distinct Species Present Analogous Variations, So That a Variety of One Species Often Assumes a Character Proper to an A
  46. Summary
  47. VI. Difficulties of the Theory
  48. On the Absence or Rarity of Transitional Varieties
  49. On the Origin and Transition of Organic Beings with Peculiar Habits and Structure
  50. Organs of Extreme Perfection and Complication
  51. Modes of Transition
  52. Special Difficulties of the Theory of Natural Selection
  53. Organs of Little Apparent Importance, as Affected by Natural Selection
  54. Utilitarian Doctrine, How Far True: Beauty, How Acquired
  55. The Law of Unity of Type and of the Conditions of Existence Embraced by the Theory of Natural Selection
  56. VII. Miscellaneous Objections to the Theory of Natural Selection
  57. VIII. Instinct
  58. Inherited Changes of Habit or Instinct in Domesticated Animals
  59. Special Instincts
  60. Instincts of the Cuckoo
  61. Slave-Making Instinct
  62. Cell-Making Instinct of the Hive-Bee
  63. Objections to the Theory of Natural Selection as Applied to Instincts: Neuter and Sterile Insects
  64. Summary
  65. IX
  66. Degrees of Sterility
  67. Laws Governing the Sterility of First Crosses and of Hybrids
  68. Origin and Causes of the Sterility of First Crosses and of Hybrids
  69. Reciprocal Dimorphism and Trimorphism
  70. Fertility of Varieties When Crossed, and of Their Mongrel Offspring, Not Universal
  71. Hybrids and Mongrels Compared, Independently of Their Fertility
  72. Summary of Chapter
  73. X
  74. On the Lapse of Time, as Inferred from the Rate of Deposition and Extent of Denudation
  75. On the Poorness of Palaeontological Collections
  76. On the Absence of Numerous Intermediate Varieties in Any Single Formation
  77. On the Sudden Appearance of Whole Groups of Allied Species
  78. On the Sudden Appearance of Groups of Allied Species in the Lowest Known Fossiliferous Strata
  79. XI
  80. On Extinction
  81. On the Forms of Life Changing Almost Simultaneously Throughout the World
  82. On the Affinities of Extinct Species to Each Other, and to Living Forms
  83. On the State of Development of Ancient Compared with Living Forms
  84. On the Succession of the Same Types Within the Same Areas, During the Later Tertiary Periods
  85. Summary of the Preceding and Present Chapters
  86. XII
  87. Single Centres of Supposed Creation
  88. Means of Dispersal
  89. Dispersal During the Glacial Period
  90. Alternate Glacial Periods in the North and South
  91. XIII
  92. Freshwater Productions
  93. On the Inhabitants of Oceanic Islands
  94. Absence of Batrachians and Terrestrial Mammals on Oceanic Islands
  95. On the Relations of the Inhabitants of Islands to Those of the Nearest Mainland
  96. Summary of the Last and Present Chapters
  97. XIV
  98. Analogical Resemblances
  99. On the Nature of the Affinities Connecting Organic Beings
  100. Morphology
  101. Development and Embryology
  102. Rudimentary, Atrophied, and Aborted Organs
  103. Summary
  104. XV
  105. Glossary of the Principal Scientific Terms Used in the Present Volume