WJiat is Heredity? 15 



interest. The latter method' is open to objection, since 

 the reader may be called upon to listen to views which 

 are opposed by accepted authorities, and to wait until 

 the proofs are presented in due course. 



I must therefore request the reader to suspend judg- 

 ment, and to lay aside established opinions, until he has 

 examined the subject upon all sides. 



The examination of the history of the subject will fur- 

 nish an introduction to its scientific discussion, and I 

 have therefore adopted the following plan : 



I shall give, first, an outline of the chief hypotheses 

 which have been proposed, from time to time, as an ex- 

 planation of heredity, with reasons for rejecting them. 

 I shall then present briefly, in outline, a statement of 

 what I believe to be the true explanation. I shall then 

 try to show that this theory furnishes a basis or founda- 

 tion for the theory of natural selection, and removes the 

 most serious difficulties which have been urged against 

 the latter theory. I shall then show that there is no a 

 priori reason for rejecting the theory of heredity; and 

 that it furnishes an explanation of many well-known 

 facts which cannot without it be seen in their true rela- 

 tions. I shall then attempt to show that it is supported 

 by direct proof, and finally I shall give a statement of 

 the theory in a more extended form. 



