THE WONDER OF LIFE 6ii 



however, it does seem as if the return to an old-fashioned 

 condition was best explained by the hypothesis of the 

 re-awakening of an ancestral trait which had lain latent 

 for many generations. 



In other cases it seems more hkely that some derange- 

 ment of development has resulted in a suggestion of an an- 

 cient condition without there being any re- awakening of 

 any particular ancestral item in the inheritance. Probably 

 this is the case with most of the two-toed horses that crop 

 up. But some of them are strongly suggestive of more 

 than this. Thus Prof. K. Skoda, of the Veterinary CoUege 

 in Vienna, describes a case where each fore-leg bore beside 

 the normal single digit (No. HI) a second. This second 

 (No. II) had three joints, but did not reach the ground. 

 There was a metacarpal (or pabn-bone) for this extra 

 digit, but it was largely fused with the ordinary meta- 

 carpal of No. III. The usual No. IV. free spUnt or meta- 

 carpal was present, and there seemed to be actually hints 

 of a minute metacarpal No. I. Especially when we look 

 into the details of a case like this does it seem difficult to 

 dissociate what occurred from aU relation to the ancient 

 polydactyl. 



To some minds it seems very inconsistent to credit the 

 germ- plasm at one time with great stabihty, and at another 

 time with great power of change. But there is really no 

 paradox here, for every thinker with a Uvely intelligence 

 shows the same combination of quahties — ^holding by 

 fundamental principles, yet restlessly experimenting with an 

 open mind. So the germ- plasm in its own fashion proves aU 

 things and holds fast that which is good. Moreover, it is 

 quite Ukely that the varying or mutating occurs periodically. 

 Just as we have an alternation between speculation and 



