60 NATURAL INHERITANCE. [CHAP.
radius, or with an entire Ellipse in terms of its major and minor axes. We can also apply the various beautiful properties of the Law of Frequency of Error to the observed values of Q. In doing so, we act like woodsmen who roughly calculate the cubic contents of the trunk of a tree, by measuring its length, and its girth at either end, and submitting their measures to formulae that have been deduced. from the properties of ideally perfect straight lines and circles. Their results prove serviceable, although the trunk is only rudely straight and circular. I trust that my results will be yet closer approximations to the truth than those usually arrived at by the woodsmen.
The value of a single Deviation at a known Grade determines a Normal Scheme of Deviations.-When Normal Curves of Distribution are drawn within the same limits, they differ from each other only in their general slope ; and the slope is determined if the value of the Deviation is given at any one specified Grade. It must be borne in mind that the width of the limits between which the Scheme is drawn, has no influence on the values of the Deviations at the various Grades, because the latter are proportionate parts of the base. As the limits vary in width, so do the intervals between the Grades. When measuring the Deviation at a specified Grade for the purpose of determining the whole Curve, it is of course convenient to adhere to the same Grade in all cases. It will be recollected that when dealing with the observed curves a few pages back, I
