28 



INHERITANCE 



Chap. XIII. 



CHAPTEE XIII. 



INHERITANCE continued 



REVERSION OR ATAVISM. 



REVERSION 



IN PURE OR UNCROSSED BREEDS, AS IN PIGEONS, 

 FOWLS, HORNLESS CATTLE AND SHEEP, IN CULTIVATED PLANTS — REVERSION IN 



FERAL ANIMALS AND PLANTS 



REVERSION IN CROSSED VARIETIES AND SPECIES 



THE 



OR FRUIT 



THE 



THE 



ACT OF CROSSING A DIRECT CAUSE OF REVERSION, VARIOUS CASES OF WITH 



INSTINCTS 



OTHER 



REVERSION 



LATENT CHARACTERS 



SECONDARY SEXUAL CHARACTERS 



UNEQUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE TWO 



SIDES OF THE BODY APPEARANCE WITH ADVANCING AGE OF CHARACTERS DERIVED 



— THE GERM WITH ALL ITS LATENT CHARACTERS A WONDERFUL 



FROM A CROSS 



OBJECT 



MONSTROSITIES 



PELORIC FLOWERS DUE IN SOME CASES TO REVERSION. 



The 



g 



principle of inheritance to be discussed in this 



chapter has been recognised by agriculturists and 



authors of 

 by the scientific term Atavism, derived 

 ; by the English terms of Reversion, or 



and by the 



the French P 



from atavus, an a 

 Throwing back ; 



German Riick-schlag, or Ruck-schritt. When the child resembles 

 either grandparent more closely than its immediate parents, our 

 attention is not much arrested, though in truth the fact is 

 highly remarkable ; but when the child resembles some remote 

 ancestor, or some distant member in a collateral line. — and we 



must attribute the ] 

 from a common pro 



r 



the descent of all the members 

 feel a just degree of astonish- 



ment. When one parent alone displays 



enerally inheritable character, and 



d 



inherit it, the cause 



may 



the 



me newly-acquired 

 e offspring do not 

 parent having the 



power of prepotent transmission. But when both parents ar( 

 similarly characterised, and the child does not, whatever the caust 

 may be, inherit the character in question, but resembles its grand 

 parents, we have one of the simplest cases of reversion, 

 continually see another and even more simple case of atav 



W 



> 



though not generally included under 



head 



CHAP 



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 al< 



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attri 



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\ 



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 not 



tha 



ind 



pei 

 fa 



in 



al 

 fin 



foi 

 me 

 par 

 But 



Stri 

 sixtl 

 colo 



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now 

 may 



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 shall 



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