56 



the rudiment of 



& 



?? 



INHERITANCE. 



a horn may be often felt 



Chap. XIIT 



a t an early 



No doubt it appears at first sight in the highest deg 



probable that 



y horse of every g 



should 



be a latent capacity and tendency to produce stripes, though 

 these may not appear once in a thousand generations ; that h, 

 every white, black, or other coloured pigeon, which may hay! 

 transmitted its proper colour during centuries, there should be a 

 latent capacity in the plumage to become blue and to be marked 



with 



ba 



that in 



y child 



fingered family there should be the capacity for the production 

 ot an additional digit ; and so in other cases. Nevertheless 

 there is no more inherent improbability in this being the case 

 than m a useless and rudimentary organ, or even in only a 

 tendency to the production of a rudimentary organ, beincr inhe- 

 rited during millions of generations, as is well 



known 



multitude of organic beings. Thei 



improbability in each domestic pig, during a thousand genera- 

 tions, retaining the capacity and tendency to develop great 

 tusks under fitting conditions, than in the young calf having 

 retained for an indefinite number of generations rudimentary 

 incisor teeth, which never protrude through the gums. 



I shall give at the end of the next chapter a summary of the 

 three preceding chapters ; but as isolated and striking cases of 

 reversion have here been chiefly insisted on, I wish to guard 



supposing that reversion is due 



When 



or accidental combination of circumstances, 

 lost during hundreds of generations, suddenly „ rr _ .„ 

 doubt some such combination must occur; but reversions may 

 be constantly observed, at least to the immediately preceding 



eappear 



generations 



sally recognised 

 been recognised 



offspring of most 



united forms rendering the 

 their grandparents 

 tion. Reversion is 



unions. This has been 



of hybrids and mongrels, but 



ply from the difference between the 



or more remote 



likew 



aim 



blance of the offspring t( 



suitors of easy detec 



prog 



Sedgwick has shown, with certain diseases 



ably the 



conclude that a tendency 



Hence 



sMr. 



must 



, V-* 



al part of the general law of 



peculiar form of 





* 









Tl 



as 



tb 



