Hybridize

More than thirty years ago, when our knowledge of variation was far less than it is now, Dr. Stejneger had the discernment to interpret Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus), Colaptes cafer (Gmelin), and Colaptes hybridus (Baird) to be dichromatic or trichromatic phases of one species, and not two species that hybridize on a gigantic scale.

Brainstorming methods other than the KJ technique will be mentioned later, but to come up with new ideas, it is easier to merge different ideas, or in other words, to cross-fertilize or hybridize ideas and improve upon them.