98 THE FOUNDATIONS OF ZOOLOGY 



be a residuum to be accounted for by the " inheritance of acquired 

 characters." For all I know this may be not only possible, but 

 actually the case. I have never felt the slightest interest in a priori 

 demonstrations of the impossibility of this sort of inheritance, and, 

 for all I know to the contrary, proof of its occurrence may be found 

 at any time, although I know no good evidence of its occurrence. 

 I had satisfied myself, long before the recent revival of interest in 

 the matter* that whether it be a real factor or not, the so-called 

 Lamarckian factor has little value as a contribution to the solution 

 of the problem of the origin of species; and renewed study has 

 strengthened this conviction. 



