350 Darwinism and Other Essays. 



titles of works by authors of the same name. 

 "Stanley Jevons " and "Stuart- Glennie " 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 



