﻿214 
  Retrograde 
  Varieties 
  

  

  characters 
  are 
  in 
  either 
  case 
  the 
  same. 
  Perhaps 
  

   on 
  close 
  inspection 
  you 
  may 
  find 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  

   a 
  slight 
  difference, 
  some 
  character 
  being 
  not 
  

   as 
  fully 
  developed 
  in 
  the 
  hybrid 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  spe- 
  

   cies. 
  But 
  when 
  such 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  case, 
  or 
  where 
  

   the 
  opportunity 
  for 
  such 
  a 
  closer 
  examination 
  

   is 
  wanting, 
  a 
  hybrid 
  may 
  easily 
  be 
  taken 
  for 
  a 
  

   specimen 
  of 
  the 
  pure 
  race. 
  Now 
  take 
  the 
  seeds 
  

   of 
  your 
  plant 
  and 
  sow 
  them. 
  If 
  you 
  had 
  not 
  

   supposed 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  hybrid 
  you 
  will 
  be 
  astonished 
  

   at 
  finding 
  among 
  its 
  progeny 
  some 
  of 
  a 
  wholly 
  

   different 
  type. 
  You 
  will 
  be 
  led 
  to 
  conclude 
  

   that 
  you 
  are 
  observing 
  a 
  sudden 
  change 
  in 
  

   structure 
  such 
  as 
  is 
  usually 
  called 
  a 
  sport. 
  

  

  Or 
  in 
  other 
  words 
  you 
  may 
  think 
  that 
  you 
  are 
  

   assisting 
  at 
  the 
  origination 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  variety. 
  

   If 
  you 
  are 
  familiar 
  with 
  the 
  principle 
  of 
  vicin- 
  

   ism, 
  you 
  will 
  refrain 
  from 
  such 
  an 
  inference 
  and 
  

   consider 
  the 
  supposition 
  of 
  a 
  hybrid 
  origin. 
  

   But 
  in 
  former 
  times, 
  when 
  this 
  principle 
  

   was 
  still 
  unknown 
  and 
  not 
  even 
  guessed 
  

   at, 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  many 
  mistakes 
  must 
  have 
  

   been 
  made, 
  and 
  that 
  many 
  an 
  instance, 
  which 
  

   until 
  now 
  has 
  been 
  considered 
  reliable 
  proof 
  

   of 
  a 
  so-called 
  single 
  variation, 
  is 
  in 
  fact 
  only 
  a 
  

   case 
  of 
  vicinism. 
  In 
  reading 
  the 
  sparse 
  litera- 
  

   ture 
  on 
  sports, 
  numerous 
  cases 
  will 
  be 
  found, 
  

   which 
  cannot 
  stand 
  this 
  test. 
  In 
  many 
  instances 
  

   crossing 
  must 
  be 
  looked 
  to 
  as 
  an 
  explanation, 
  

  

  