﻿734 
  Fluctuations 
  

  

  as 
  innumerable, 
  and 
  thereby 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  laws 
  

   of 
  fluctuations, 
  remains 
  uncertain. 
  Of 
  course 
  

   the 
  easiest 
  way 
  is 
  to 
  assume 
  that 
  they 
  combine 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  as 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  chance, 
  and 
  

   that 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  ground 
  of 
  the 
  similarity 
  of 
  the 
  

   curves. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  it 
  is 
  manifestly 
  of 
  

   the 
  highest 
  importance 
  to 
  inquire 
  into 
  the 
  part 
  

   the 
  several 
  factors 
  play 
  in 
  the 
  determination 
  

   of 
  the 
  curves. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  improbable 
  that 
  

   some 
  of 
  them 
  have 
  a 
  larger 
  influence 
  on 
  indi- 
  

   vidual, 
  and 
  others 
  on 
  partial, 
  fluctuations. 
  If 
  

   this 
  were 
  the 
  case, 
  their 
  importance 
  with 
  respect 
  

   to 
  questions 
  of 
  heredity 
  might 
  be 
  widely 
  differ- 
  

   ent. 
  In 
  the 
  present 
  state 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge 
  the 
  

   fluctuation-curves 
  do 
  not 
  contribute 
  in 
  any 
  

   large 
  measure 
  to 
  an 
  elucidation 
  of 
  the 
  causes. 
  

   Where 
  these 
  are 
  obvious, 
  they 
  are 
  so 
  without 
  

   statistics, 
  exactly 
  as 
  they 
  were, 
  previous 
  to 
  

   Quetelet's 
  discovery. 
  

  

  In 
  behalf 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  questions 
  con- 
  

   cerning 
  heredity 
  and 
  selection, 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  desir- 
  

   able 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  somewhat 
  closer 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   these 
  curves. 
  Therefore 
  I 
  shall 
  try 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  

   their 
  more 
  essential 
  features, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  this 
  can 
  

   be 
  done 
  without 
  mathematical 
  calculations. 
  

  

  At 
  a 
  first 
  glance 
  three 
  points 
  strike 
  us, 
  the 
  

   average 
  or 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  curve, 
  and 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   tremes. 
  If 
  the 
  general 
  shape 
  is 
  once 
  denoted 
  by 
  

   the 
  results 
  of 
  observations 
  or 
  by 
  the 
  coeffi- 
  

  

  