20 Latent a)id Scnii-Latcnt Characters. 



(Fig. 2, p. 34), the apex of wliich however does not 

 become very distant from that of the half-curve. 



Third case. The characters are first expressible by 

 half curves because they are uiiuus variants; but after 

 isolation the curve very soon becomes a two-sided one 

 with a new apex. The new variety reaches its full de- 

 velopment and is maintained without further selection. 



A schematic presentation of the conflict between two 

 antagonistic characters is given below : 



The normal character is: The anomaly is: 



I. active latent. 



II, active semi-latent. 



III. An equilibrium is maintained. 



IV. semi-latent active. 

 V. latent active. 



I do not of course suppose that no further cases are 

 possible, that there may not for example be various stages 

 of semilatency. The facts at our disposal do not admit of 

 any such definite statement. On the other hand it must 

 be stated that the scheme I have gi\'en covers the cases 

 ■which have been so far collected ; we shall soon see large 

 numbers of examples of the main cases, whereas of others 

 I have not yet found any. 



In the above table I obviously represents the normal, 

 original species, and V the slightly variable and constant 

 variety derived from it. The three other numbers repre- 

 sent the three intermediate forms of which the two first 

 (II and III) correspond to actuality whilst the fourth 

 merely follows from the scheme. I am rather doubtful 

 as to its occurrence in nature. 



It is necessary to introduce special names for the 

 first two intermediate forms. I shall therefore call them 

 both intermediate races, one of which — No. II — I shall 



