II,]   DISCUSSION OF THE DATA OF STATURE.   123

that law is expressed, that the relation between yy' and x is also governed by it. The value of P of course remains the same throughout, but the Q in the system of yy' values is necessarily less than that in the system of y values.

It might well be that natural selection would favour the indefinite increase of numerous separate faculties, if their improvement could be effected without detriment to the rest ; then, mediocrity in that faculty would not be the safest condition. Thus an increase of fleetness would be a clear gain to an animal liable to be hunted by beasts of prey, if no other useful faculty was thereby diminished.

But a too free use of this "if " would show a jaunty disregard of a real difficulty. Organisms are so knit together that change in one direction involves change in many others ; these may not attract attention, but they are none the less existent. Organisms are like ships of war constructed for a particular purpose in warfare, as cruisers, line of battle ships, &c., on the principle of obtaining the utmost efficiency for their special purpose. The result is a compromise between a variety of conflicting desiderata, such as cost, speed, accommodation, stability, weight of guns, thickness of armour, quick steering power, and so on. It is hardly possible in a ship of any long established type to make an improvement in any one of these respects, without a sacrifice in other directions. If the fleetness is increased, the engines must be larger, and more space must be given up to coal, and this diminishes the remaining