Often to a very remarkable degree, but not so far as to
transgress the limits between the two races. Such transgression may
apparently be met with from time to time, but then the next generation
generally shows the fallacy of the conclusion, as it returns more or
less directly to the type from which the strain had been derived.
Monstrosities should always be studied by physiologists from this point
of view. Poor and rich strains of the same anomaly seem at first sight
to be so nearly allied that it might be thought to be very easy to
change the one into the other. Nevertheless such changes are not on
record, and although I have made several attempts in this line, I never
succeeded in passing the limit. I am quite convinced that sometime [402]
a method will be discovered of arbitrarily producing such conversions,
and perhaps the easiest way to attain artificial mutations may lie
concealed here. But as yet not the slightest indication of this
possibility is to be found, save the fallacious conclusions drawn from
too superficial observations.
Unfortunately the poor strains are not very interesting. Their chance of
producing beautiful instances of the anomaly for which they are
cultivated is too small. Exceptions to this rule are only afforded by
those curious and rare anomalies, which command general attention, and
of which, therefore, instances are always welcome.
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