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  ANNUAL 
  KEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  10'29 
  

  

  with 
  suoli 
  roi^ular 
  soquouoos 
  of 
  forms 
  as 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  gradual 
  modifica- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  tlie 
  horee's 
  foot, 
  or 
  in 
  the 
  shells 
  of 
  some 
  molhisks, 
  where 
  a 
  

   knowlodiro 
  of 
  ono 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  sorios 
  enables 
  us 
  pretty 
  closely 
  to 
  com- 
  

   pute 
  the 
  rest. 
  

  

  THE 
  TASK 
  AHEAD 
  

  

  The 
  biologist 
  should, 
  however, 
  not 
  be 
  content 
  to 
  stop 
  with 
  such 
  gen- 
  

   eralities. 
  The 
  real 
  problems 
  of 
  the 
  generation 
  of 
  new 
  living 
  things 
  

   are 
  only 
  conuneneing 
  to 
  open 
  up. 
  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  

   variations, 
  although 
  "accidental" 
  in 
  the 
  sense 
  previously 
  explained, 
  

   nevertlieless 
  is 
  subject 
  to 
  a 
  mechanism, 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  as 
  

   yet 
  in 
  its 
  most 
  elementary 
  stage. 
  Moreover, 
  the 
  biologist 
  of 
  broader 
  

   view 
  reahzes 
  that 
  there 
  never 
  has 
  been 
  any 
  one 
  objective 
  in 
  the 
  couree 
  

   of 
  evolution, 
  and 
  that 
  every 
  creature, 
  including 
  man, 
  is 
  only 
  on 
  pro- 
  

   bation, 
  and 
  may 
  eventually 
  give 
  way 
  before 
  another 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  more 
  

   advantageous 
  succession 
  of 
  nuitations 
  happens 
  to 
  come 
  along. 
  The 
  

   vast 
  majority 
  of 
  species, 
  in 
  fact, 
  have 
  perished 
  along 
  the 
  way, 
  aiui 
  only 
  

   a 
  relatively 
  few 
  survive, 
  through 
  change, 
  to 
  form 
  the 
  continuing 
  

   thread 
  of 
  life 
  that 
  branches 
  out 
  again. 
  

  

  Man. 
  however, 
  is 
  now 
  the 
  lii"st 
  creature 
  in 
  the 
  world 
  to 
  have 
  this 
  

   advantage: 
  he 
  has 
  reached 
  some 
  undei'standing 
  of 
  this 
  process 
  of 
  

   evolution 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  hitherto 
  been 
  caught 
  and 
  blown 
  about, 
  and 
  

   with 
  understanding 
  there 
  frequently 
  comes 
  some 
  measure 
  of 
  control. 
  

   He 
  can 
  now 
  produce 
  mutations 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time, 
  and 
  1 
  have 
  no 
  doubt 
  

   he 
  will 
  soon 
  experiment 
  with 
  this 
  knowledge 
  and 
  in 
  time 
  by 
  its 
  means 
  

   greatly 
  improve 
  and 
  alter 
  the 
  forms 
  and 
  functionings 
  of 
  those 
  domes- 
  

   tic 
  animals 
  and 
  plants 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  taken 
  under 
  his 
  care. 
  Look 
  at 
  

   the 
  motley 
  shapes 
  of 
  flies 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  laboratory 
  and 
  

   you 
  will 
  more 
  readily 
  appreciate 
  the 
  possibilities 
  thus 
  presented. 
  

  

  Despite 
  these 
  advantages 
  we 
  are 
  to-day 
  almost 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  ever 
  

   from 
  producing 
  to 
  order 
  the 
  exact 
  mutations 
  wliich 
  we 
  want. 
  Enough, 
  

   for 
  the 
  plants 
  and 
  animals, 
  simply 
  to 
  produce 
  a 
  great 
  many 
  mutations 
  

   and 
  then 
  take 
  our 
  choice, 
  as 
  nature 
  has 
  done 
  in 
  a 
  far 
  slower 
  and 
  more 
  

   halting 
  fashion. 
  But 
  the 
  reseai'ch 
  must 
  go 
  on. 
  Man 
  must 
  eventu- 
  

   ally 
  take 
  his 
  own 
  fate 
  into 
  his 
  o'\\ti 
  hands, 
  biologically 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  other- 
  

   wise, 
  and 
  not 
  be 
  content 
  to 
  remain 
  in 
  his 
  most 
  essential 
  respect, 
  the 
  

   catspaw 
  of 
  natural 
  forces, 
  to 
  be 
  fashioned, 
  played 
  with, 
  and 
  cast 
  

   aside. 
  If 
  we 
  have 
  had 
  a 
  billion 
  years 
  of 
  evolution 
  behind 
  us, 
  and 
  we 
  

   have 
  advaiK-ed 
  from 
  something 
  like 
  an 
  anuvba 
  to 
  sometliing 
  Uke 
  a 
  

   man, 
  then 
  in 
  the 
  many 
  millions 
  of 
  yeai-s 
  which 
  are 
  still 
  in 
  store 
  for 
  

   our 
  world 
  why 
  may 
  we 
  not 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  further 
  great 
  advance, 
  

   perhaps 
  far 
  greater 
  even 
  than 
  this, 
  because 
  under 
  our 
  own 
  increasingly 
  

   intelligent 
  guidance? 
  

  

  