PREPONDERANCE OF A SINGLE PARENT 163 



variation may be opposed by the homologous ids of the other 

 parent containing another specific variation ; and, in such a 

 case, it may often happen that the biophors of the one parent 

 are inferior in assimilating power to those of the other parent, 

 so that the variation presented by the one parent will be entirely 

 absent from the ofEspring. 



The number of variations rendered possible by the neotaxis 

 of the germ-plasm is, as we have seen, enormous. For instance, 

 let us suppose the germ-plasm of the mother to consist of the 

 hemodynamic idant complex A^, and the germ-plasm of the 

 father to be composed of a majority of the same idant complex 

 A^, and likewise of a minority of ids containing variations A^ 

 and a^. The mother's hereditary substance A^ will be counter- 

 balanced by the hereditary substance A^ of the father, and the 

 mingling of the two substances as a result of amphimixis can only 

 result in A^ -i- A^ — that is to say, in a summation of forces. But 

 the paternal germ-plasm possess id complexes A^ and a^, 

 which are not counterbalanced by similar id complexes in the 

 maternal germ-plasm ; and, as the paternal germ-plasm is 

 composed of A^ -t- A^ + a^, whereas the maternal germ-plasm 

 is limited to the variation A^, hemodynamic with the paternal 

 A^, the share of the father in determining the ofEspring will be 

 preponderant. Of course, when we speak of the maternal germ- 

 plasm as composed of a single variation A^, and the paternal 

 germ-plasm as composed of the variations A^ -i- A^ -f- a^, we are 

 speaking of the germ-plasms as they are constituted after the 

 reduction — ^in their " amphimixiated " condition, so to speak ; 

 and we do not mean to imply that any combination is really as 

 simple as this, which we give only to illustrate how the pre- 

 ponderance of one parent can be brought about. 



The maternal and the paternal germ-cells contain only one 

 half of the maternal or paternal hereditary substance, the other 

 half having been lost through the reduction process. The more 

 or less numerous eggs produced by the mother during the life- 



11—2 



