ACQUIRED CHARACTERS 209 



Mr. Lock concludes this chapter and the book, by quoting a 

 paragraph from a paper by Professor Karl Pearson, which we 

 recommend all to read. For, whatever may be the differences 

 between the Biometricians and the Mendelians, we rejoice in the 

 fact, that all are agreed, it is impossible by nurture to evolve 

 " golden conduct out of inherent leaden instincts," which are 

 born of nature. 



Mr. Lock's book is well illustrated and it contains reproduc- 

 tions from the portraits of Dar\\in, de Vries, Galton, Kolreuter 

 and Mendel. 



The Heredity of Acquired Characters in Plants. -% the 



Rev. Professor George Hensloiv, M.A., .F.L.S. John 

 Murray, London. Price 6s. Pp. 107. 



Professor Henslow is one of the remaining few of a resolute 

 rearguard. While the large majority of English biologists have 

 followed Weismann, and have rejected the theory of the trans- 

 mission of acquired characters either as untenable or unproven, 

 there yet remains a small band of biologists who still maintain 

 that this theory is worthy of acceptance. Among these, Professor 

 Henslow expounds the theory from the botanical side, and 

 Professor Gadow and Mr. J. T. Cunningham from the zoological 

 side ; and among botanists there are others who occupy a 

 neutral territory. 



" The object of the present book is to prove that Evolu- 

 tion — so far as plants are concerned — depends upon the 

 inheritance of acquired characters." Professor Henslow 

 describes a large number of examples, which he believes demon- 

 strate " that new and changed structures in plants do arise as 

 acquired characters, and that they can be hereditarily trans- 

 mitted, and so become fixed as varietal or specific characters." 

 He also contends that these examples prove the power of plants 

 to adapt themselves during their development by responding to 

 new conditions. 



We are afraid not many biologists will accept Professor 

 Henslow's conclusions, but before these are commented upon, it 

 is only fair to consider the merits of the book apart from the 

 particular attitude it assumes towards a once much debated ques- 

 tion. It is a work which can be well recommended to every student 

 of nature. It is full of most interesting facts relating to the many 



