274 6« Vererbungslehre. 



in Mendclian fashion. These and other facts form the basis of a discussion 

 on the nature of Mendelian behavior. It is pointed out that if the chromo- 

 somes are chemically unlike, and if different groupings enter different gerra 

 cells, then such germ cells will become unlike as a whole. There is in plants 

 a succession of germinal material frora the fertilized egg to the spore mother- 

 cells, which corresponds in a certain sense to the Keimbahn of animals. 

 Fhenomena of „segregation" may and do occur at other places in the life 

 history besides the reduction divisions. But in many Mendelian hybrids the 

 reduction divisions must be the active period of „character segregation" or 

 germ cell differentiation. Many Mendelian characters are found on analysis 

 to be due to a quantitative difference, rather than the presence or absence 

 of something. This quantitative difference may be in the amount of certain 

 substances, or in the energy-content of certain constituents of the cell. 



R. R. Gates (St. Louis). 



534) Spillman, W. J., Mendelian phenomena without de Vriesian 

 theory. 



(Amer. Naturalist 44,520. p. 214—228. 1910.) 



Variations are classified into four types, 1. Mendelian recombination of 

 characters, 2. non-heritable fluctuations, 3. de-Vriesian mutation, due to irre- 

 gularities in the distribution of chromosomes, 4. variations due to fundamental 

 changes in the germ plasm. The last is regarded as the most important 

 factor in evolutionary change. It is shown that Mendelian phenomena, such 

 as in crosses between red and white sweet peas, can be accounted for with- 

 out the unit character hypothesis, by supposing that each pair of chromo- 

 somes takes part to a different extent in the production of any character of 

 the organism. Thus, if a given pair of chromosomes in the sweet pea func- 

 tions less actively in the synthesis of the enzyme necessary for the pro- 

 duction of red, the plant would produce only white flowers. Explanations of 

 cryptomeric and heterozygous characters are given similarly, on the basis of 

 quantitative differences in the functional activity of certain chromosomes. It 

 is suggested that a pair of Mendelian unit characters should therefore be 

 called a „character differential" instead of character pair; and it is proposed 

 to call „any organ, tissue, substance or cell organ" which has the power of 

 influencing development, a teleone. A Mendelian unit character difference 

 is thus not two unit characters, nor the presence and absence of a Single 

 unit Charakter, but a difference between two teleones. 



R. R. Gates (St. Louis). 



535) Strohinayer, W. (Universität Jena), Die Ahnentafel der Könige 

 Ludwig II. und Otto I. von Bayern. 



(Aren. f. Rassen- u. Gesellsch.-Biologie 7,1. p. 65—92. 1910.) 

 Ausgehend von dem Züchtungsgrundsatz, daß gefestigte Eigenschaften aus 

 ingezüchteten Erbmassen stammen, die auf Generationen hinaus richtung- und 

 ausschlaggebend für das biologische Schicksal eines Geschlechts sein können, 

 unternimmt der Verf. einen genealogisch-psychiatrischen Deutungsversuch des 

 tragischen Schicksals der beiden Bayernkönige. 



Betrachtet man die übersichtliche Ahnentafel Ludwigs II. und Ottos I., in 

 welcher die Verwandtschaftsverhältnisse, namentlich die einzelnen Verwandten- 

 ehen und die psychisch belasteten Persönlichkeiten deutlich markiert sind, so 

 sieht man auf den ersten Blick, daß das züchterische Übergewicht zweifellos 

 auf der Mutterseite, auf der Seite der Königin Marie, Prinzessin von Preußen 

 liegen muß, weil ihre Ahnenreihe eine intensivere inzüchterische Konsolidierung 

 hohenzollern-braunschweigischen Blutes aufweist. Wenn es auch in der Ahnen- 



