INHERITANCE IN ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION 



187 



successive buds of alternate generations being labled with 

 the series of letters and numerals) showed an average number 

 of tentacles considerably lower than that of the remaining por- 

 tion of the clone. The polyp AlA was recorded as small, with 

 abnormal tentacles, rapidly becoming normal. The mean num- 

 ber of tentacles of the fraternity from which it came was 

 6.809 ±0.062, that of its immediate progeny was 6.200 ±0.023, 

 giving a reduction of 0.609 ±0.067 tentacles in one generation. 



Fig. 7 The distribution of variations in the number of tentacles of Clone A 

 ( ) and of the subordinate clones yl^A ( • — •) and A — {AlA) ( ). 



The mean of all the descendants of AlA (437) was 6.121- 

 0.020: that of the remainder of the clone was 6.624 ±0.013 giv- 

 ing a difference of 0.503 ±0.024. The distribution of variations 

 in the two subordinate clones, separately and combined, is 

 shown in figure 7. The dimodality of Clone A is clearly the 

 result of the combining of these two groups (neither subordinate 

 clone breaks up upon further analysis nor does any other method 

 of dividing Clone A reduce its dimodality. The appearance of 

 this diversity gives no evidence of a cumulative inheritance of 

 variations. The change was quite sudden, resulting in a difference 

 after one generation as great as the difference in any later gener- 



