X.] 



PANGENESIS. 



241 



it inherits them from its parents, grandparents, or its less 

 remote ancestors. Now, the Jews are remarkably scrupu- 

 lous as to marriage, and rarely contract such a union with 

 individuals not of their own race. This practice has 



years; and similarly also for 



gone on for thousands of 



AN ANNELID DIVIDING SPONTANEOUSLY 



(A new head having been formed towards the hinder end of the body of the parent). 



thousands of years the rite of circumcision has been 

 unfailingly and carefully performed. If then the hypo- 

 thesis of pangenesis is well founded, that rite ought to be 

 now absolutely or nearly superfluous from the necessarily 



