﻿False 
  Atavism 
  213 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  crosses. 
  And 
  it 
  is 
  therefore 
  easily 
  seen, 
  

   that 
  the 
  hybrids 
  of 
  two 
  varieties 
  may 
  resemble 
  

   neither 
  of 
  them, 
  but 
  revert 
  to 
  the 
  species 
  itself. 
  

   This 
  is 
  necessarily 
  and 
  commonly 
  the 
  case, 
  

   since 
  it 
  is 
  always 
  the 
  older 
  or 
  positive 
  charac- 
  

   ters 
  that 
  prevail 
  in 
  the 
  hybrids 
  and 
  the 
  

   younger 
  or 
  negative 
  that 
  lie 
  hidden. 
  So 
  for 
  in- 
  

   stance, 
  a 
  blue 
  dwarf 
  larkspur, 
  crossed 
  with 
  a 
  

   tall 
  white 
  variety, 
  must 
  give 
  a 
  tall 
  blue 
  hybrid, 
  

   reassuming 
  in 
  both 
  characters 
  the 
  essentials 
  

   of 
  the 
  species. 
  

  

  Keeping 
  this 
  rule 
  in 
  view, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  easy 
  to 
  

   calculate 
  what 
  may 
  be 
  expected 
  from 
  sponta- 
  

   neous 
  crosses 
  for 
  a 
  wide 
  range 
  of 
  occurrences, 
  

   and 
  thus 
  to 
  find 
  an 
  explanation 
  of 
  innumerable 
  

   cases 
  of 
  apparent 
  variability 
  and 
  reversion 
  in 
  

   the 
  principle 
  of 
  vicinism. 
  Students 
  have 
  only 
  

   to 
  recollect 
  that 
  specific 
  characters 
  prevail 
  over 
  

   varietal 
  ones, 
  and 
  that 
  every 
  character 
  com- 
  

   petes 
  only 
  with 
  its 
  own 
  antagonist. 
  Or 
  to 
  give 
  

   a 
  sharper 
  distinction 
  : 
  whiteness 
  of 
  flowers 
  can- 
  

   not 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  be 
  interchanged 
  with 
  

   pubescence 
  of 
  leaves. 
  

  

  In 
  concluding 
  I 
  will 
  point 
  out 
  another 
  danger 
  

   which 
  in 
  the 
  principle 
  of 
  vicinism 
  may 
  be 
  

   avoided. 
  If 
  you 
  see 
  a 
  plant 
  in 
  a 
  garden 
  with 
  all 
  

   the 
  characteristics 
  of 
  its 
  species, 
  how 
  can 
  you 
  

   be 
  sure 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  truly 
  a 
  representative 
  of 
  the 
  

   species, 
  and 
  not 
  a 
  hybrid! 
  The 
  prevailing 
  

  

  