l8 THE EVOLUTION OF LIVING BEINGS. 



(by Linnaeus), and finally again the total neglect of 

 all experimenting. 



Here Linnaeus also is at fault, because he knew- that 

 there existed other than non-transmittable differen- 

 ces between the individuals, united by him to one 

 species; he even designated these f. i. the different 

 forms of cabbage which were cultivated at his time, 

 by giving them another name than varietates levissimas 

 viz varietates tout court. 



That he considered these to be of considerable im- 

 portance, clearly ressorts from his advice to his students : 

 varietates numerosae plurium specierum attente in- 

 spiciantur (Am. Acad. I. 1744 p. 55), but later he has 

 forgotten this distinction which he himself made, fide 

 his utterance (Philosophia botanica. 100 1751) Varietas 

 est planta mutata a causa accidentali, solo, calore, 

 ventis etc. 



It is a great pity that Linnaeus postponed the ex- 

 perimental study of the gardenvarieties (his „varie- 

 tates") until he would find time for them, because that 

 time never was found; the existence of transmitta- 

 ble differences within the Linnean species was forgot- 

 ten and with this the necessity to experiment was for- 

 gotten also. 



Haeckel says consequently very rightly, in his Gene- 



relle Morphologie: 



„Indessen war man vollkommen zufrieden, wenn man 

 bei einer untersuchten Anzahl hochst dhnlicher Indivi- 

 duen die Uebereinstimmung in alien wesentlichen Cha- 

 racter en festgestellt hatte." 



