350 Darwinism and Other Essays. 



titles of works by authors of the same name. 

 &quot;Stanley Jevons &quot; and &quot;Stuart - Glennie &quot; are 

 very uncommon combinations of names ; yet the 

 occurrence of two or three different authors in an 

 alphabetical catalogue, bearing this uncommon 

 combination of names, would not be at all surpris 

 ing. 



Indeed, to say nothing of the immense num 

 ber of accidental coincidences, I think we may 

 lay it down as a large comprehensive sort of rule, 

 that any man who has published a volume or 

 pamphlet is sure to have relatives of the same 

 name who have published volumes or pamphlets. 

 Such a fact may have some value to people, like 

 Mr. Galton, who are interested in the subject of 

 hereditary talent, and who have besides a keen 

 eye for statistics. I have never tabulated the 

 statistics of this matter, and am stating only a 

 general impression, gathered from miscellaneous 

 experience, when I say that the occurrence of al 

 most any name in a list of authors affords a con 

 siderable probability of its re-occurrence, asso 

 ciated with some fact of blood-relationship. One 

 would not be likely to realize this fact in collect 

 ing a large private library, because private libra 

 ries, however large, are apt to contain only the 

 classical works of quite exceptional men and the 



