Chap. XXVII. OF PANGENESIS. 395 



crossing. Crossed forms of the first generation are generally 

 nearly intermediate in character between their two parents ; 

 but in the next generation the offspring commonly revert to 

 one or both of their grandparents, and occasionally to more 

 remote ancestors. How can we account for these facts ? 

 Each unit in a hybrid must throw off, according to the 

 doctrine of pangenesis, an abundance of hybridised gemmules, 

 for crossed plants can be readily and largely propagated 

 by buds ; but by the same hypothesis dormant gemmules 

 derived from both pure parent-forms are likewise present ; 

 and as these gemmules retain their normal condition, they 

 would, it is probable, be enabled to multiply largely during 

 the lifetime of each hybrid. Consequently the sexual elements 

 of a hybrid will include both pure and hybridised gemmules ; 

 and when two hybrids pair, the combination of pure gem- 

 mules derived from the one hybrid with the pure gemmules 

 of the same parts derived from the other, would necessarily 

 lead to complete reversion of character ; and it is, perhaps, 

 not too bold a supposition that unmodified and undeteriorated 

 gemmules of the same nature would be especially apt to 

 combine. Pure gemmules in combination with hybridised 

 gemmules would lead to partial reversion. And lastly, 

 hybridised gemmules derived from both parent-hybrids 

 would simply reproduce the original hybrid form. 71 All 

 these cases and degrees of reversion incessantly occur. 



It was shown in the fifteenth chapter that certain characters 

 are antagonistic to each other or do not readily blend ; hence, 

 when two animals with antagonistic characters are crossed, 

 it might well happen that a sufficiency of gemmules in the male 

 alone for the reproduction of his peculiar characters, and in the 

 female alone for the reproduction of her peculiar characters, 

 would not be present ; and in this case dormant gemmules 

 derived from the same part in some remote progenitor might 

 easily gain the ascendancy, and cause the reappearance of 

 the long-lost character. Fur instance, when black and white 

 pigeons, or black and white fowls, are crossed,— colours which 



71 In these remarks I, in fact, species which are crossed. See his 

 follow Natidin, who speaks of the excellent memoir in the ' Nouvelles 

 elements or essences of the two Archives du Museum,' torn. i. p. 151. 



