Chap. XIV. SEXUAL LIMITATION. 47 



in the last cliapter, a strong latent tendency to become 

 peloric; but there is also, as we have seen, a still stronger 

 tendency in all peloric plants to reacquire their normal 

 irregular structure. So that we have two opposed latent 

 tendencies in the same plants. Now, with the crossed 

 Antirrhinums the tendency to produce normal or irregular 

 flowers, like those of the common Snapdragon, prevailed in 

 the first generation ; whilst the tendency to pelorism, ap- 

 pearing to gain strength by the intermission of a generation, 

 prevailed to a large extent in the second set of seedlings. 

 How it is possible for a character to gain strength by the 

 intermission of a generation, will be considered in the chapter 

 on pangenesis. 



On the whole, the subject of prepotency is extremely intri- 

 cate, — from its varj^ing so much in strength, even in regard 

 to the same character, in different animals, — from its runnins: 

 either equally in both sexes, or, as frequently is the case with 

 animals, but not witli plants, much stronger in one sex than 

 the other, — from the existence of secondary sexual charac- 

 ters, — from the transmission of certain characters beinac 

 limited, as we shall immediately see, by sex, — from certain 

 characters not blending together, — and, perhajDS, occasionally 

 from the effects of a previous fertilisation on the mother. 

 It is therefore not surprising that no one has hitherto 

 succeeded in drawing up general rules on the subject of 

 prepotency. 



lalieritance as limited hy Sex. 



New characters often appear in one sex, and are afterwards 

 transmitted to the same sex, either exclusively or in a much 

 greater degree than to the other. This subject is important, 

 because with animals of many kinds in a state of nature, both 

 high and low in the scale, secondary sexual characters, not 

 directly connected with the organs of reproduction, are con- 

 spicuously present. With our domesticated animals, characters 

 of this kind often differ widely from those distinguishing the 

 two sexes of the parent species ; and the principle of inheri- 

 tance, as limited by sex, explains how this is possible. 



