CONCLUSIONS 



177 



investigations, and come to most interesting results. 

 In the following table he has arranged a population of 

 10,000 individuals in a series. M denotes mediocrity, 

 while + 1°, + 2°, etc., and —1°, —2°, etc., denote talents in 

 the plus and minus direction respectively — i.e., talents 

 above or below mediocrity (each talent being reckoned 

 as equal to the Probable Error of the group — i.e., if we 

 take M equal, e.g., to the average height, 5 feet 8 inches, each 

 talent would be expressed by </ = if inches). In the second 

 row we find the classes marked by letters from R upwards 

 to V, and from r downwards to v (R referring to a class 

 receiving more than M, but less than M+i°, S receiving 

 more than M+ 1°, but less than M + 2°, etc., and the same 

 on the negative side ; i.e., R exceeds the height 5 feet 

 8 inches, S exceeds 5 feet 9I inches, etc.). Beneath these 

 is given the frequency of each class. We see here again 

 that the mediocre quality is shared by the greatest number 

 of individuals, and the qualities in the plus and the minus 

 direction decrease in number towards both ends of the 

 series. From this table, then, we know the actual dis- 

 tribution of talent in a population. We see, e.g., that only 

 35 out of 10,000, or I : 300, are of the highest talent V. 



Fig. 74. — Frequency of Talents. (After Galton.) 



But, knowing thus much, the further question arises : 

 How is this class V of^ offspring distributed with regard to 

 their parents ? or, in other words, in what proportions do 

 the different classes of parents contribute to any given 

 class of children ? This is a most important inquiry, which 

 gives us the key for the practical solution of the whole 

 question. Now, Galton gives us the following table of 

 Descent of Qualities in a Population : 



