Eversportincj Varieties. 19 



extreme but very common mode of appearance two other 

 cases are possible, according to my experience : 



1. When the seeds of an abnormal individual are 

 sown the anomaly is repeated from time to time in a few 

 or more individuals, remaining rare or only appearing 

 in a feeble state of development. Selection may improve 

 it, but only to a very inconsiderable extent. 



2. Under favorable circumstances the anomaly may 

 increase rapidly both in the degree of its development and 

 in the number of individuals which present it. A so-called 

 constant race is formed in the course of a few genera- 

 tions. It is subject to a high degree of fluctuating vari- 

 ability in respect to the character in question and is 

 largely dependent on cultivation. 



I propose to term the first type of characters senii- 

 latent and to distinguish amongst latent characters be- 

 tween the genuine completely latent ones and those which 

 occasionally come to light or the semi-latent ones. This 

 term refers to the behavior of the character in the race as 

 a whole ; a semi-latent character may remain latent in 

 many individuals and organs and be active in others. 

 A true latent character on the other hand only very 

 rarely becomes active. 



If we study these three cases statistically, trying to 

 plot the variation of the anomaly in the form of a curve 

 (p. 8) we generally obtain the follow^ing results: 



First case. The genuine latent characters appear so 

 rarely that they do not afford sufficient material for a 

 curve. 



Second case. Semi-latent characters must be studied 

 in combination Vv'ith their antagonistic active characters, 

 and are expressed by half curves (Fig. 1, p. 28), from 

 which a two-sided curve mav be derived bv selection 



