THE THREATENED CONFUSION 261 



In a striking metaphor Professor Bateson has 

 objected to the use of the term 'variation' to 

 express certain different forms presented by the 

 individuals of a species : ' We might as well,' he 

 says with a fine scorn, ' use one term to denote 

 the differences between a bar of silver, a stick of 

 lunar caustic, a shilling, or a teaspoon.' ^ It 

 would indeed be unreasonable thus to denote 

 the differences between those objects, although 

 their agreement may be quite properly expressed 

 by the single phrase ' forms of silver '. ' Variation,' 

 too, may be reasonably used in a generic sense to 

 cover many widely different departures from what 

 is regarded as the normal form of a species. But, 

 to make use of Professor Bateson's metaphor, 

 we are now threatened with the sort of confusion 

 that would arise if (1) A declared that the word 

 'teaspoon' meant a teaspoon, and (2) B and C 

 spread broadcast the statement that A had really 

 applied this term not to a teaspoon at all, but to 

 a shilling. 



It is probable that Professor Bateson's and 

 Mr. Punnett's error arose when they became 

 aware that de Vries attributed 'fluctuations' to 

 nutrition, using this term in a broad sense. They 

 do not appear to have realized that, whereas 

 regression rendered evident through heredity is 

 the essential element in de Vries's 'fluctuations', 

 the opinion that they are acquired is quite 

 unessential. De Vries, in fact, treats the trans- 



1 Report Brit. Assoc, Cambr. (1904), 576. 



