[1] The two fundamental principles usually termed Mendelian are: (1) that of alternative inheritance, viz., that of two corresponding but contrasted pairs of characters of the parents, only one appears in the offspring. This is known as the dominant character; the character not appearing is the recessive character. (2) The law of segregation of characters, according to which both dominant and recessive characters reappear pure in 25% each of the offspring of hybrids.—Ed.
[2] Laocoön (lay-ock-o-on) was a priest of Apollo who warned the Trojans against the wooden horse of the Greeks. As a result he and his two sons were destroyed by serpents sent by Athene, who'd placed her bet on Greece. This mythological tragedy is portrayed in a magnificent statue now in the Vatican at Rome.—Ed.