﻿790 
  Fluctuations 
  

  

  monstrosities 
  have 
  been 
  dealt 
  with 
  as 
  instances 
  

   of 
  such 
  ever-sporting 
  varieties. 
  

  

  Now 
  the 
  question 
  may 
  be 
  put, 
  what 
  would 
  be 
  

   the 
  effect 
  of 
  selection 
  if 
  in 
  long 
  series 
  of 
  years 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  characters 
  of 
  such 
  a 
  double 
  race 
  

   were 
  preferred 
  continuously, 
  to 
  the 
  complete 
  

   exclusion 
  of 
  the 
  other. 
  Would 
  the 
  race 
  become 
  

   changed 
  thereby? 
  Could 
  it 
  be 
  affected 
  to 
  such 
  

   a 
  degree 
  as 
  to 
  gradually 
  lose 
  the 
  inactive 
  qual- 
  

   ity, 
  and 
  cease 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  double 
  race? 
  

  

  Here 
  manifestly 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  means 
  by 
  which 
  

   to 
  determine 
  what 
  selection 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  ac- 
  

   complish. 
  Physiologic 
  experiments 
  may 
  be 
  

   said 
  to 
  be 
  too 
  short 
  to 
  give 
  any 
  definite 
  

   evidence. 
  But 
  cases 
  may 
  be 
  cited 
  where 
  

   nature 
  has 
  selected 
  during 
  long 
  centuries 
  

   and 
  with 
  absolute 
  constancy 
  in 
  her 
  choice. 
  

   Moreover 
  unconscious 
  selections 
  by 
  man 
  have 
  

   often 
  worked 
  in 
  an 
  analogous 
  manner, 
  and 
  

   many 
  cultivated 
  plants 
  may 
  be 
  put 
  to 
  the 
  

   test 
  concerning 
  the 
  evidence 
  they 
  might 
  give 
  

   on 
  this 
  point. 
  Stating 
  beforehand 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  

   this 
  inquiry, 
  we 
  may 
  assert 
  that 
  long-continued 
  

   selection 
  has 
  absolutely 
  no 
  appreciable 
  effect. 
  

   Of 
  course 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  deny 
  the 
  splendid 
  results 
  of 
  

   selection 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  few 
  years, 
  nor 
  the 
  ne- 
  

   cessity 
  of 
  continued 
  selection 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  im- 
  

   proved 
  races 
  to 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  their 
  ameliorated 
  

   qualities. 
  I 
  only 
  wish 
  to 
  state 
  that 
  the 
  work 
  

  

  