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  Fluctuations 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  extreme 
  individuals 
  have 
  exceptional 
  

   chances 
  of 
  becoming 
  better 
  nourished 
  than 
  the 
  

   average 
  of 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  race. 
  Applying 
  the 
  

   same 
  rule 
  to 
  them, 
  it 
  is 
  easily 
  understood 
  that 
  

   they 
  will 
  vary, 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  this 
  better 
  nourish- 
  

   ment, 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  corresponding 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  

   their 
  parent. 
  

  

  This 
  discussion 
  gives 
  a 
  very 
  simple 
  explana- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  acknowledged 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  seeds 
  of 
  

   the 
  extremes 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  the 
  best 
  for 
  the 
  

   propagation 
  of 
  the 
  race. 
  It 
  does 
  not 
  include 
  

   however, 
  all 
  the 
  causes 
  for 
  this 
  preferment. 
  

   Some 
  are 
  of 
  older 
  date 
  and 
  due 
  to 
  previous 
  in- 
  

   fluences. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  point 
  in 
  our 
  discussion 
  is 
  the 
  appre- 
  

   ciation 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  a 
  single 
  individual 
  

   may 
  be 
  chosen 
  to 
  gather 
  the 
  seed 
  from, 
  and 
  that 
  

   these 
  seeds, 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  plants 
  they 
  yield, 
  are 
  

   as 
  a 
  rule, 
  numerous. 
  Hence 
  it 
  follows 
  that 
  we 
  

   are 
  to 
  compare 
  their 
  average 
  and 
  their 
  ex- 
  

   tremes 
  with 
  the 
  qualities 
  of 
  the 
  parents. 
  Both 
  

   are 
  of 
  practical 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  of 
  theoretical 
  inter- 
  

   est. 
  The 
  average 
  of 
  the 
  progeny 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  con- 
  

   sidered 
  as 
  the 
  chief 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  selection 
  in 
  

   the 
  previous 
  generation, 
  while 
  the 
  extremes, 
  at 
  

   least 
  those 
  which 
  depart 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  direction, 
  

   are 
  obviously 
  the 
  means 
  of 
  further 
  improve- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  race. 
  

  

  Thus 
  our 
  discussion 
  should 
  be 
  divided 
  into 
  

  

  