THE LAW OF HEREDITY 



7 



Therefore I think we may say with Ribot, 

 " Heredity always governs those broadly general 

 characteristics which determine the species, always 

 those less general characteristics which constitute 

 the variety, and often individual characteristicSo 

 Hence the evident conclusion that heredity is 

 the law, non-heredity the exception. Suppose a 

 ■father and mother — both large, strong, healthy, 

 active, and intelligent — produce a son and a 

 daughter possessing the opposite qualities. In 

 this instance, wherein heredity seems completely 

 set aside, it still holds good that the differences 

 between parents and children are but slight as 

 compared with the resemblances." ^ 



Heredity acts in four ways:^ — 



(i) Direct- Heredity, when the qualities of both 

 parents are transmitted to their offspring. Of 

 this there are two forms : — • 



ia) When the child takes after both parents 

 equally. Of this there are probably no perfect 

 examples. The disturbing conditions are so nu- 

 merous as to make this type all but impossible ; 

 so that practically there is always in the child 

 a preponderance of one of the parents. 



{b) When the child takes after both parents, 



1 Heredity^ Ribot, pp. 144, 145. 



2 Ibid. p. 147. 



