160 Atavism. 
middle race or eversporting variety ; that is to say, a race 
which produces in every generation a fairly constant 
proportion of atavists. This proportion is about 50</e . 
The segregation of atavists occurs regularly in gen- 
erations grown from seed, but sometimes also in those 
grown by means of bud-variation. The atavists are per- 
fectly, or at least very nearly, constant. 
The true representatives of the race (i. e., all other 
than atavists) produce both unbranched and more or less 
profusely branched ears, and are largely dependent, in 
regard to this character, on their environment and their 
individual vigor (fluctuating variability). The stronger 
the plant and the more favorable the conditions the more 
pronounced is the anomaly. 1 
1 Compare the behavior of Paparer somnifcrum polycephalum in 
Vol. I, Part I, 16, p. 138; and also the end of this part. 
