Bd. XCV. Nr. 10. XXV. Jahrgang. 



Botanisches Centralblatt 



Referirendes Organ 



der 



Association Internationale des Botanistes 



für das Gesammtgebiet der Botanik. 



Herausgegeben unter der Leitung 

 des Präsidenten: des Vice- Präsidenten: des Secretärs: 



Prof. Dr. K. Goebel. Prof. Dr. F. 0. Bower. Dr. J. P. Lotsy. 



und der Redactions-Commissions- Mitglieder : 



Prof. Dr. Ch. Flahault und Dr. Wm. Trelease. 



von zahlreichen Specialredacteuren in den verschiedenen Ländern. 

 Dr. J. P. LotSy, Chefredacteur 



No. 10, 



Abonnement für das halbe Jahr 14 Mark 1004 



durch alle Buchhandlungen und Postanstalten. 



Alle für die Redaction bestimmten Sendungen sind zu richten an Herrn 

 Dr. J. P. LOTSY, Chefredacteur, Leiden (Holland), Oude Rijn 33 a. 



MORGAN, T. H., Evolution and Adaptation. (The Mac- 

 millan Co. 1903. pp. XIII. 470. Fig. 1—7. Doli. 3.00 net.) 



This work while written primarily from a zoological stand- 

 point, contains much that is of botanical interest. It is divided 

 into thirteen chapters as follows ; I, The Problem of Adaptation; 

 II and III, The Theory of Evolution; IV and V, Darwin's 

 Theories of Artificial and Natural Selection ; VI, Darwin's 

 Theory of Sexual Selection; VII, The Inheritance of Acquired 

 Caracters; VIII, Continuous and Discontinuous Variation and 

 Heredity; IX, Evolution as the result of External and Internal 

 Factors; X, The Origin of the Different Kinds of Adaptations; 

 XI, Tropisms and Instincts as Adaptations; XII, Sex as an 

 Adaptation; XIII, Summary and General Conclusions. While the 

 classic illustrations from botanical sources are often cited apropos 

 of the various topics indicated above, the greatest interest 

 centers around the chapter including the discussion of disconti- 

 nuous Variation and heredity, in which the author treats of the 

 work of Mendel and De Vries. He finds in the mutation 

 theory of De Vries, an explanation of a means of the origin 

 of new species which has many advantages over the Darwinian 

 theory as it is ordinarily accepted. In chapters X and XI some 

 of these advantages are brought out in detail. In the matter 

 of the theory of the inheritance of acquired characters the 

 author is of the opinion that there is no satisfactory evidence 

 to support the claim, and adds that he is not sure but that 

 the theory might be regarded as unnecessary. The general 



Botan. Centralbl. Bd. XCV. 1904 16 



