354 SHORT NOTES. 



fore us he discusses Dr. Bastian's paper in detail. He endeavours to 

 show that the fundamental principle of evolution being continuity, it 

 lends no sanction to such a leap as the direct production of a Penicil- 

 lium from ammonium tartrate. Evolution regards complexity as only 

 gradually attained ; and the exigencies of differentiated organisms 

 imply antecedent organisms genetically connected with them which 

 were undifferentiated. It cannot be contended that these successively 

 existed in the experiments, because the production of differentiation is 

 the result of a continual effort to meet, by increasingly complex modi- 

 fications, changes in an organism's environment. Differentiation, 

 therefore, demands two conditions which could not be present in the 

 experiments, viz. a, amplitude of variation in the environment ; b, a 

 lengthened period of time for the gradual accumulation of small 

 chauges. It is equally difficult to regard Bacteria as spontaneously 

 produced. As with Torulce, it is pretty well ascertained that these are 

 derived from fungi, such as PenicilUum. Consequently, though very 

 simple in structure, like the animal ovum they are potentially com- 

 plex. This potential complexity can only be gradually arrived at by 

 the same process as that which produces actual and structural. It is 

 true that Evolution bridges over the interval between the living and 

 the lifeless ; but the earliest living things that it looks for are protei- 

 naceous masses, simpler even than Amoeba, and only attaining higher 

 places in the scale by the most gradual accumulation of minute modi- 

 fications. 



British Dactyloid Saxifrages. — I wish to correct a strange 

 mistake Mr. Baker has fallen into respecting our Irish " Saxifraga 

 ccBS])itosa " (abundant on Brandon), which he considers identical 

 with the Scandinavian plant. The Scottish specimeirs may belong to 

 true Cfespitosa, which is abundant in Iceland — a little tufted plant 

 with small yelloivish or cream-coloured flower ; but L'ish S. ccespitosa and 

 S. hirta are evidently only luxuriant forms of hypnoides (see Cyb. 

 Hibern. 118). As to the actual specific distinctness of ccespitosa 

 (true) and hypnoides I offer no opinion ; but I can assert, from actual 

 observation, that ccespitosa of Iceland, Norway, and our Brandon Saxi- 

 frage are exceedingly different plants. S. hirta (from Brandon ; 

 Galtymore ! and Carrantuel !) is a large straggling plant, with rather 

 yellow-white flowers ; " 8. ccespitosa " of Brandon has large handsome 

 white flowers. In cultivation hirta becomes very like ccespitosa. 



