﻿746 
  Fluctuations 
  

  

  fluenced 
  to 
  a 
  noticeable 
  degree 
  before 
  this 
  union. 
  

   This 
  is 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  the 
  determination 
  of 
  indi- 
  

   vidual 
  variability. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  ramifications 
  be- 
  

   gin, 
  the 
  external 
  conditions 
  act 
  separately 
  on 
  

   every 
  part, 
  influencing 
  some 
  to 
  a 
  greater 
  and 
  

   others 
  to 
  a 
  lesser 
  degree. 
  Here 
  we 
  have 
  the 
  

   beginning 
  of 
  partial 
  variability. 
  At 
  the 
  outset 
  

   all 
  parts 
  may 
  be 
  affected 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  measure, 
  but 
  the 
  chances 
  of 
  such 
  an 
  

   agreement, 
  of 
  course, 
  rapidly 
  diminish. 
  This 
  is 
  

   partly 
  due 
  to 
  differences 
  in 
  exposure, 
  but 
  main- 
  

   ly 
  to 
  alterations 
  of 
  the 
  sensibility 
  of 
  the 
  organs 
  

   themselves. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  gain 
  a 
  clear 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  

   contrast 
  between 
  individual 
  and 
  partial 
  varia- 
  

   bility, 
  and 
  neither 
  is 
  it 
  easy 
  to 
  appreciate 
  

   their 
  cooperation 
  rightly. 
  Perhaps 
  the 
  best 
  

   way 
  is 
  to 
  consider 
  their 
  activity 
  as 
  a 
  gradual 
  

   narrowing 
  of 
  possibilities. 
  At 
  the 
  outset 
  the 
  

   plant 
  may 
  develop 
  its 
  qualities 
  in 
  any 
  measure, 
  

   nothing 
  being 
  as 
  yet 
  fixed. 
  Gradually 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  the 
  development 
  takes 
  a 
  definite 
  direction, 
  

   for 
  better 
  or 
  for 
  worse. 
  Is 
  a 
  direction 
  once 
  

   taken, 
  then 
  it 
  becomes 
  the 
  average, 
  around 
  

   which 
  the 
  remaining 
  possibilities 
  are 
  grouped. 
  

   The 
  plant 
  or 
  the 
  organ 
  goes 
  on 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  un- 
  

   til 
  finally 
  it 
  reaches 
  maturity 
  with 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   thousands 
  of 
  degrees 
  of 
  development, 
  between 
  

   which 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  it 
  had 
  a 
  free 
  choice. 
  

  

  