48 Transactions. 



insufficient. But another and equally famous school believe such inherit- 

 ance to be a more or less frequent occurrence, botanists, as a rule, being 

 more in its favour than are zoologists. 



Speaking of theories of evolution generally, there seems good reason 

 to consider that such, if not premature, are chiefly of value as a stimulus 

 to biological research. Our ignorance as to the minute structure, the 

 chemistry, and the physiology of the protoplasm is profound. Nothing- 

 is known as yet regarding the actual cause of variation. An epharmonic 

 stimulus could do nothing were it not that the inner constitution of the 

 plant is already able to respond — i.e., the " machinery " is there ready to 

 produce the possibly epharmonic variation so soon as it gets the necessary 

 touch. 



The construction of elaborate theories is not the method by which 

 progress can be made. Actual experiments in the garden, the laboratory, 

 and the field can alone lead to the truth. Even in taxonomy, only experi- 

 ment can actually decide as to stable and hereditary forms. But observa- 

 tions from nature are also demanded, and here ecology comes in, with the 

 attempt to make use of the wild-plant world, where there are species in 

 the making, as a source of observation. The duty of the ecologist is the 

 collecting of facts in as accurate a manner as possible. The study of 

 epharmony in its manifold phas3S is urgently required. Its vigorous prose- 

 cution should yield a rich harvest of observations, to be examined in the 

 light of experimental evolution. 



XI. Literature cited.* 



Armstrong. J. B. 1881. " A Synopsis of the New Zealand Species of 



Veronica Linn., with Notes on New Species." Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 13, 



p. 344. 

 Balfour, I. B. 1879. " The Collections from Rodriquez— Botany." Phil. 



Trans. R.S., vol. 168, p. 302. 

 Bitter, G. 1911. " Die Gattung Acaena." Stuttgart. 

 Blaringhem, L. 1907. " Mutation et Traumatisme." Paris. 

 Buchanan, J. 1870. Introductory Remarks to " List of Plants found 



in the Northern District of the Province of Auckland." Trans. N.Z. 



Inst., vol. 2, p. 239. 

 — 1871. " On some New Species and Varieties of New Zealand 



Plants." Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 3, p. 208. 

 Burns, G. P. 1911. " Edaphic Conditions in Peat Bogs of Southern 



Michigan." Bot. Gaz., vol. 52, p. 105. 

 Cheeseman, T. F. 1891. "Further Notes on the Three Kings Islands." 



Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 23, p. 408. 



1906. " Manual of the New Zealand Flora." Wellington. 



1907. " Contributions to a Fuller Knowledge of the Flora of 

 New Zealand." Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 39, p. 439. 



1908. Ibid., No. 2. Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. 40, p. 270. 



1909. " On the Systematic Botany of the Islands to the South of 



New Zealand." The Subant, Islands of N.Z., vol. 2, p. 389. 

 Chilton, C. 1884. " The Distribution of Terrestial Crustacea." N.Z. 



Journ. Sci., vol. 2, p. 154. 

 Clements, F. E. 1905. " Research Methods in Ecology." Nebraska. 



* Works consulted but not referred to in the text are not included, except in a few- 

 instances. 



