  We report the correlation analysis of various redshift surveys which shows
that the available data are consistent with each other and manifest fractal
correlations (with dimension $D \simeq 2$) up to the present observational
limits ($\approx 150 \hmp$) without any tendency towards homogenization. This
result points to a new interpretation of the number counts that represents the
main subject of this letter. We show that an analysis of the small scale
fluctuations allows us to reconcile the correlation analysis and the number
counts in a new perspective which has a number of important implications.
