CHAPTER XIV. 

 THE QUESTION OF RELATIONSHIP. 



Relationship among different groups of animals 

 and plants has generally been considered to be of the 

 nature of bloodrelationship. 



So Scott says : „In these days most of us, when we 

 speak of relationship among organisms, mean to imply 

 „a real affinity, that is to say a bloodrelationship." 



And a little further on he specifies: 



„Existing organisms are related to each other more 

 „or less as brothers or cousins are related." 



Now the question is: are brothers related? 



As all men are hybrids, the bloodrelationship be- 

 ween members of the same family has been very 

 much exagerated; as a matter of fact the constitu- 

 tional similarity — which, though wrongly, is meant 

 when one speaks of bloodrelationship — can be very 

 slight between brothers and sisters, yes can be much 

 less even, than between individuals of much more 

 remote parentage. 



As similarity of the individuals depends — abstrac- 

 tion made from external influences — on the constitu- 

 tion of the gametes which formed these individuals, 

 this, similarity will reach its maximum, e. g. become 

 identity, in case gametes of identical constitution mate, 

 irrespective of the source of these gametes, while 

 it is perfectly indifferent, whether such gametes of 



