LIXXE.VX SOCIETY OF LOXBOX. 69 



structure,"' i. e. Inheritance of Acquired Characters (Oriijin, ^c- 

 (>th ed. p. 421, 187S). These may become only relatively, or even 

 absolutehj stable under all conditions oi lite. 



Indefinite Variations, also caused by "Direct Action of Changed 

 Conditions of Life." They consist of a supposed mixture of indi- 

 \iduals, the minoritif possessing "favourable " (i. ^. adaptive), the 

 majority, "injurious" (i. e. iuadaptive) variations. Such is the 

 Theory of Xatural Selection as described {Oriyiii, ,^-c. Gth ed. 

 p. 0;3,'lS7S). 



Natural Selection is not required, for the majority die by 

 " fortuitous destruction •' {Orhjiti, if'c. Gth ed. pp. 53, 54, 59-89). 

 E.y. Sir E. Eay Lankester says, that one out of a million eggs of 

 an oyster may survive, i.e. per chance (Darwin's word). 



Contra, T. Buckland says of young oysters trausferred to new 

 localities, that within two months they begin to assume the 

 'native charactei's ' (Variation, ^-c. vol. ii. pp. i;SO, 281). 



Some Illustrations: — Mesophytic plants becoming aquatic and 

 vice versa, e.g. Water Crowfoot. Monocotyledons originated 

 fi-om aquatic Dicotyledons. Mesophytic plants becoming Xcro- 

 ]ihytic and vice versa by means of water, e.g. Kestharrow, iSrc. 

 Cultivated plants originating, by prepai'ed soil, from wild plants, 

 and their reversion, e.g. root crops. Depauperized and dwarfed 

 ])lants, recognized as specific ; through drought, submergence, 

 parasitism, and saprophytism. 



Daruin's final charge against scientists for their misrepresen- 

 tations :— " Great is the power of steady ndsrepresentation ; but 

 the history of science shows that, fortunately, tliis power does not 

 long endure " (Orir/in, ^"c. Gth ed. p. 421). It has lasted for 

 fifty-five years (1859-1914). 



Dr. Rendle, Mr. A. W. Sutton, and the President joined in a 

 discussion, and the author replied. 



Mr. Gut C. Eobsox, B.A., gave an abstract of his paper "On 

 a Collection of Land and Freshwater Gastropods from Mada- 

 gascar, with Descriptions of a new Genus and new Species" 

 (communicated by Prof. G. C. Bourse, P.R.S., Sec.L.S.). The 

 affinities of the species examined were found to be mainly Oriental 

 and not African. 



Mr. James Lomax, A.L.S., showed series of sections of the 

 entire vertical thickness of a seam of coal, also shown by photo- 

 graphs of sections in the lantern. 



Prof. H. H. W. Pearso', F.L.S., contributed a paper, " Notes 

 on the Morphology of certain Structures concerned in Repro- 

 duction in the Genus Gnetum.'" 



