514 The Inconstancy of Fasciatcd Races. 
numbers. To this group, also Asparagus officinalis and 
several other species seem to belong. 
17. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ATAVISTS. 
As we have seen in the first section of this chapter 
(page 490) a proper understanding of what is meant by 
atavism is a necessary basis for the discussion of our 
appreciation of the inheritance of fasciations, and of 
anomalies in general. Here, the atavists are not indi- 
viduals which step out of the race ; on the contrary, they 
are to be regarded merely as specimens in which, from 
some external cause or other, the anomaly is not mani- 
fested during their lifetime. In the selection for the 
continuation of the race they are, of course, not usually 
preferred, but as a matter of fact they may serve just as 
well for this purpose as the fasciated individuals them- 
selves. 
Extensive investigations are still to be carried out 
before a complete and proper understanding of the prin- 
ciples which underlie these phenomena can be attained. 
The knowledge however, which we already possess, ap- 
pears to me to be sufficient to demonstrate the correctness 
of the generalization just enunciated. In the first place 
I mentioned the remarkable fact that the anomaly can re- 
main latent during a whole generation without disap- 
pearing forever or even becoming noticeably diminished. 
Sometimes indeed two or several generations can be 
skipped in this way. Let me give some instances as proof 
of this. 1 In the fall of 1887 I collected some seed of 
Tetragoma e.vpansa from fruits on very broad stems and 
obtained, in the following years. 1888-1890, three further 
o / 
1 Botanisch Jaarboek, Gent, 1894. 
