390 Ever-sporting Varieties 



of the life-conditions of their parents and 

 grandparents. Within the race all variability 

 would in this way be reduced to the effects 

 of external circumstances. Among these nour- 

 ishment is no doubt the most momentous, 

 and this to such a degree that older writers 

 designated the external conditions by the term 

 nourishment. According to Knight nutrition 

 reigns supreme in the whole realm of vari- 

 ability, the kind of food and the method of nour- 

 ishment coming into consideration only in a sec- 

 ondary way. The amount of useful nutrition 

 is the all-important factor. 



If this is so, and if nutrition decides the de- 

 gree of deviation of any given character, the 

 widest deviating individuals are the best nour- 

 ished ones. The best nourished not only dur- 

 ing the period of sensibility of the attribute un- 

 der consideration, but also in the broadest sense 

 of the word. 



This discussion casts a curious light upon the 

 whole question of selection. Not of course 

 upon the choice of elementary species or varie- 

 ties out of the original motley assembly which 

 nature and old cultures offer us, but upon the 

 selection of the best individuals for isolation and 

 for the improvement of the race. These are, 

 according to my views, only the best nourished 

 ones. Their external conditions have been the 



