34 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



nients of Brown-Seqiiard and Obersteiner appears forced 

 and inexcusably far-fetched, but it will be unnecessary 

 to dwell longer upon such cases. Suffice it to say, that 

 epilepsy superinduced by severing certain peripheral 

 nerves has been transmitted to the following generation, 

 but that Weismann evades the experiment, first by sug- 

 gesting that it was merely the predisposition to the dis- 

 ease — due to a general derangement of the nervous sys- 

 tem that was inherited, and secondly suggesting that 

 the disease w^as transmitted by microbes penetrating the 

 reproductive cells. 



An almost endless number of instances have been re- 

 ported of the transmission of acquired characters, while 

 the Neo-Darwinians have replied to many of them, ex- 

 plaining the facts after their own fashion. It will be 

 obviously impossible to give all of the cases which have 

 been brought to light, but a few representative ones may 

 be detailed. The evidence divides itself into two classes, 

 viz: observed instances of transformation which appear 

 to be due to the direct action of the environment; and, 

 second, structures, functions, or traits which could only 

 have resulted from the inheritance of acquired charac- 

 ters. 



In the first category may be mentioned the case of 

 the Japanese goldfish of Dr. AVahl, which Prof. Ryder 

 records, "^^ which, by close confinement and abundant 

 food, were greatly modified, " enormous and abnormally 

 lengthened pectoral, ventral, dorsal, double and caudal 

 fins " being developed. " Some of the races of these fishes 

 have obviously been affected in appearance by abundant 

 feeding," he states, " as is attested by their short, almost 

 globular bodies, protuberent abdomens and greedy hab- 

 its," etc. Lloyd Morgan gives some interesting instances 



*Am. Nat., vol. 24, page 89. 



