2 THE EVOLUTION OF 



new investigatiou, to amplify them, if tbey come to see 

 the exactness of the alleged facts and to ponder on my 

 deductions, I think I may not yield to Miss N.'s opinion, 

 but have to express my objections against it. All the more 

 so as it is offering me an opportunity to point out how 

 the different papers published since then on the same sub- 

 ject do not in any way conflict with or refute the justness 

 of my view, as to the main point at least; aud further to 

 indicate the way which future investigations will have to 

 follow, to get at results that can bring the necessary light 

 into this matter. 



Miss N. is not well disposed towards my theory. No 

 wonder, for she has a theory of her own about animal 

 coloration, and mine does not agree with hers. One of the 

 two must be wrong, partly at least, if not wholly so. 

 This cannot be questioned, but I cannot for all that con- 

 sider it as a matter of course that mine should be the 

 wrong one, though indeed I am quite willing to admit 

 that this may be the case. To decide this matter, however, 

 a closer examination than Miss N. has devoted to my in- 

 vestigations will be wanted. Nor do I believe this can be 

 done by chemical studies alone; it seems to me, therefore, 

 that Miss N.'s views resting almost exclusively on this 

 basis, bear a too partial character. Certainly a chemical 

 as well as a microscopical inquiry into the nature of co- 

 lours is a very important thing with reference to the 

 topic of my study, aud I too made an ample use of the 

 results obtained thereby, but doubtless it is erroneous 

 to think this the only way in which this matter can be 

 explained. There are people with black or fair or red hair, 

 and surely chemistry and microscopy can reveal very im- 

 portant things as to the nature of these differences in 

 colour, but they certainly never will explain the ethnolo- 

 gical and anthropological phenomena of which these diffe- 

 rences are the expression. Neither those sciences in them- 

 selves will ever be able to explain the biological facts to 



ISTotes from the Leyden ÜMiiseum, Vol. ^JiLII. 



