PRELIMINARY REMARKS--FIRST PART:--THE FACTS TO BE CONNECTED UNDER A SINGLE POINT OF VIEW, NAMELY, THE VARIOUS KINDS OF REPRODUCTION--THE DIRECT ACTION OF THE MALE ELEMENT ON THE FEMALE--DEVELOPMENT--THE FUNCTIONAL INDEPENDENCE OF THE ELEMENTS OR UNITS OF THE BODY--VARIABILITY--INHERITANCE--REVERSION.
SECOND PART:--STATEMENT OF THE HYPOTHESIS--HOW FAR THE NECESSARY ASSUMPTIONS ARE IMPROBABLE--EXPLANATION BY AID OF THE HYPOTHESIS OF THE SEVERAL CLASSES OF FACTS SPECIFIED IN THE FIRST PART--CONCLUSION ... Page 357
DOMESTICATION--NATURE AND CAUSES OF VARIABILITY--SELECTION--DIVERGENCE AND DISTINCTNESS OF CHARACTER--EXTINCTION OF RACES--CIRCUMSTANCES FAVOURABLE TO SELECTION BY MAN--ANTIQUITY OF CERTAIN RACES--THE QUESTION WHETHER EACH PARTICULAR VARIATION HAS BEEN SPECIALLY PREORDAINED ... Page 405
Vol. II., pp. 18, 232, 258, for Cratægus oxycantha, read oxyacantha. ,, p. 98, 8 lines from top, for Dianthus armoria read armeria. ,, ,, 156, 15 lines from bottom, for Casuarinus read Casuarius. ,, ,, ,, 4 lines from bottom, for Grus cineria read cinerea. ,, ,, 168, 11 lines from top, for Oesculus read Æsculus. ,, ,, 300, 3 lines from top, for anastomising read anastomosing. ,, ,, ,, foot-note, for Birckell read Brickell.
WONDERFUL NATURE OF INHERITANCE--PEDIGREES OF OUR DOMESTICATED ANIMALS--INHERITANCE NOT DUE TO CHANCE--TRIFLING CHARACTERS INHERITED--DISEASES INHERITED--PECULIARITIES IN THE EYE INHERITED--DISEASES IN THE HORSE--LONGEVITY AND VIGOUR--ASYMMETRICAL DEVIATIONS OF STRUCTURE--POLYDACTYLISM AND REGROWTH OF SUPERNUMERARY DIGITS AFTER AMPUTATION--CASES OF SEVERAL CHILDREN SIMILARLY AFFECTED FROM NON-AFFECTED PARENTS--WEAK AND FLUCTUATING INHERITANCE: IN WEEPING TREES, IN DWARFNESS, COLOUR OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS, COLOUR OF HORSES--NON-INHERITANCE IN CERTAIN CASES--INHERITANCE OF STRUCTURE AND HABITS OVERBORNE BY HOSTILE CONDITIONS OF LIFE, BY INCESSANTLY RECURRING VARIABILITY, AND BY REVERSION--CONCLUSION.
The subject of inheritance is an immense one, and has been treated by many authors. One work alone, 'De l'Hérédité Naturelle,' by Dr. Prosper Lucas, runs to the length of 1562 pages. We must confine ourselves to certain points which have an important bearing on the general subject of variation, both with domestic and natural productions. It is obvious that a variation which is not inherited throws no light on the derivation of species, nor is of any service to man, except in the case of perennial plants, which can be propagated by buds.