﻿Stability 
  and 
  Real 
  Atavism 
  155 
  

  

  which 
  have 
  been 
  discussed 
  in 
  former 
  chapters. 
  

   Their 
  general 
  character 
  lies 
  in 
  their 
  fidelity 
  to 
  

   type, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  single, 
  and 
  not 
  

   double, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  sporting 
  varieties. 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  current 
  belief 
  is, 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  only 
  

   true 
  to 
  their 
  peculiarities 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  degree, 
  

   and 
  that 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  and 
  not 
  rarely, 
  

   they 
  revert 
  to 
  the 
  type 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  have 
  

   arisen. 
  Such 
  reversion 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  prove 
  

   that 
  they 
  are 
  mere 
  varieties, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   time 
  to 
  indicate 
  empirically 
  the 
  species 
  from 
  

   which 
  they 
  have 
  sprung. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  next 
  lecture 
  we 
  shall 
  examine 
  critically 
  

   the 
  evidence 
  on 
  which 
  this 
  assumption 
  rests. 
  

   Before 
  doing 
  so 
  however, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  collate 
  the 
  cases 
  in 
  which 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  re- 
  

  

  

  

  version 
  at 
  all, 
  or 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  reversion 
  is 
  ab- 
  

   sent 
  at 
  least 
  in 
  experimental 
  and 
  pure 
  sowings. 
  

   In 
  the 
  present 
  state 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge 
  it 
  is 
  

   very 
  difficult 
  to 
  decide, 
  whether 
  or 
  not 
  true 
  re- 
  

   version 
  occurs 
  in 
  constant 
  varieties. 
  If 
  it 
  does 
  

   occur, 
  it 
  surely 
  does 
  so 
  very 
  rarely 
  and 
  only 
  

   under 
  unusual 
  circumstances, 
  or 
  in 
  particular 
  

   individuals. 
  However 
  when 
  such 
  individuals 
  

   are 
  multiplied 
  by 
  buds 
  and 
  especially 
  when 
  they 
  

   are 
  the 
  only 
  representatives 
  of 
  their 
  type, 
  the 
  

   reversion, 
  though 
  theoretically 
  rare, 
  will 
  be 
  

   shown 
  by 
  nearly 
  every 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  va- 
  

   riety. 
  Examples 
  of 
  this 
  will 
  be 
  given 
  below. 
  

  

  