families were not noteworthy in the technical sense of the word, but
were reported to be able. It was also often said in the replies that
the general level of ability among the members of the family of the
F.R.S. was high. Other parents were in no way remarkable, so the
future Fellow was simply a "sport," to use the language of
horticulturists and breeders, in respect to his taste and ability. It
is to be remembered that "sports" are transmissible by heredity, and
have been, through careful selection, the origin of most of the
valuable varieties of domesticated plants and animals. Sports have
been conspicuous in the human race, especially in some individuals of
the highest eminence in music, painting, and in art generally, but
this is not the place to enter further into so large a subject. It
has been treated at length by many writers, especially by Bateson and
De Vries, also by myself in the third chapter of "Natural
Inheritance" and in the preface to the second edition of "Hereditary
Genius."




NOTEWORTHY FAMILIES OF

FELLOWS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY

LIVING IN 1904.



#AVEBURY#, Lord. See LUBBOCK.