( xvii ) 



•sub-communities which was the foundation of the process. He 

 quite agreed with Dr. Dixey that epigony was far superior to 

 syngamy as a test of species, but he was considerably influenced 

 by the much greater ease with which the latter evidence could 

 be obtained in quantity. For one synepigonic family bred, the 

 records of probably many hundred examples of pairing could 

 be preserved. The former evidence is indeed hardly available 

 at all for the travelling naturalist, while its collection on a 

 large scale demanded the existence of the much-needed 

 zoological station. Although, as Dr. Dixey had said, many 

 degi-ees of syngamy were known to exist, it is improbable 

 that the intermediate grades are sufficiently common to 

 obscure the test, except in isolated cases. In conclusion the 

 President said he had found much comfort in the reflection 

 that after all the inter-breeding community is an objective 

 fact, however ditlicult it may be to prove in any particular case, 

 and that if this be accepted as a criterion of species it will be 

 one in which the subjective element is reduced to a minimum. 



Will of the late Herbert Sjjoicer. 



Mr. H. Rowland-Brown, one of the Secretaries, read the 

 following extract from the Will of the late Herbert Spencer, 

 dated 19th January 1900, as showing the benefits derived or 

 to be derived by the Society thereunder : — 



" 7. I give to my Trustees the copyrights English stereotype 

 plates and English stock of the Autobiography and of all 

 my other books namely 'Descriptive Sociology Parts 1, 2, 

 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8' 'First Principles' 'The Principles of 

 Biology ' ' Principles of Psychology ' ' Principles of Sociology ' 

 ' Principles of Ethics ' ' Education ' ' Social Statics ' Three 

 volumes of ' Essays ' ' The Study of Sociology ' ' The Man 

 versus the State ' ' Various Fragments ' together with those 

 of my smaller publications ' The Inadequacy of Natural 

 Selection' 'A Rejoinder to Professor Weismann' and of 

 my Father's two works ' Tnventional Geometry ' and ' Lucid 

 Shorthand' And also my interest in those Editions of the 

 'Study of Sociology' published by Messrs. Kegan Paul 



PROC. BNT. SOC. LOND., I. 1904. B 



