﻿Laws 
  of 
  Fluctuations 
  725 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  deviations 
  become 
  greater, 
  they 
  might 
  

   even 
  become 
  detrimental. 
  The 
  flowers 
  of 
  the 
  

   St. 
  Johnswort, 
  or 
  Hypericum 
  perforatum, 
  

   usually 
  have 
  five 
  petals, 
  but 
  the 
  number 
  varies 
  

   from 
  three 
  to 
  eight 
  or 
  more. 
  Bees 
  could 
  hardly 
  

   be 
  misled 
  by 
  such 
  deviations. 
  The 
  carpels 
  of 
  

   buttercups 
  and 
  columbines, 
  the 
  cells 
  in 
  the 
  cap- 
  

   sules 
  of 
  cotton 
  and 
  many 
  other 
  plants 
  are 
  vari- 
  

   able 
  in 
  number. 
  The 
  number 
  of 
  seeds 
  is 
  there- 
  

   by 
  regulated 
  in 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  available 
  

   nourishment, 
  but 
  whether 
  any 
  other 
  useful 
  pur- 
  

   pose 
  is 
  served, 
  remains 
  an 
  open 
  question. 
  Vari- 
  

   ations 
  in 
  the 
  honey-guides 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  pattern 
  of 
  

   color-designs 
  might 
  easily 
  become 
  injurious 
  by 
  

   deceiving 
  insects, 
  and 
  such 
  instances 
  as 
  the 
  

   great 
  variability 
  of 
  the 
  spots 
  on 
  the 
  corolla 
  of 
  

   some 
  cultivated 
  species 
  of 
  monkey-flowers, 
  for 
  

   instance, 
  the 
  Mimulus 
  quinquevulnerus, 
  could 
  

   hardly 
  be 
  expected 
  to 
  occur 
  in 
  wild 
  plants. 
  For 
  

   here 
  the 
  dark 
  brown 
  spots 
  vary 
  between 
  nearly 
  

   complete 
  deficiency 
  up 
  to 
  such 
  predominancy 
  as 
  

   almost 
  to 
  hide 
  the 
  pale 
  yellow 
  ground-color. 
  

  

  After 
  this 
  hasty 
  survey 
  of 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  fluc- 
  

   tuating 
  variability, 
  we 
  now 
  come 
  to 
  a 
  discussion 
  

   of 
  Quetelet's 
  law. 
  It 
  asserts 
  that 
  the 
  deviations 
  

   from 
  the 
  average 
  obey 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  probability. 
  

   They 
  behave 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  dependent 
  on 
  

   chance 
  only. 
  

  

  Everyone 
  knows 
  that 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  Quetelet 
  can 
  

  

  