Evolution of Evolution-Theory. 233 



To this the extreme Darwinians would probably answer 

 that this characteristic of organisms to assume a new 

 equilibrium when the old one is disturbed is itself the 

 result of a selective process which has been at work 

 since the very beginning of life. 



One of the most important criticisms which Bateson 

 brings forward may be briefly stated as follows. Species 

 are discontinuous; how? The Lamarckians and Buf- 

 fonians answer: by the accumulation of structural 

 responses to the conditions of the environment; the 

 Darwinians answer: by the natural selection of parti- 

 cular terms in a continuous series of minimal variations, 

 the selection being determined in relation to the sur- 

 rounding conditions or environment. In both cases it 

 is a question of relation between the organism and the 

 environment. But whereas species are discontinuous, 

 the conditions of the physical environment tend to form 

 a continuous series, that is to say, different environments 

 pass insensibly into one another. Moreover, different 

 species occur in similar environment, and members of 

 the same species inhabit different environments. To 

 this dilemma Bateson's answer is, of course, that dis- 

 continuous variations occur which are neither direct nor 

 indirect adaptations to the environment; while the Dar- 

 winian answer is that an essential part of an organism's 

 environment is animate, namely, the surrounding organ- 

 isms which are discontinuous or specific. But this 

 Bateson would doubtless call a vicious circle, as the 

 original discontinuity is what has to be explained. On 

 the other hand, one wonders if there is not a tendency 

 to exaggerate both the discontinuity of species and the 

 continuity of the environment. 



Inter alia, Mr. Bateson refutes the common belief 

 that variation is greater in amount in domesticated 

 animals than in wild forms; and he also combats the 

 hypothesis of Reversion, which is conveniently appealed 

 to to explain the sudden occurrence of large and regular 

 variations. 



Within our limits we are unable to give more than 

 a hint of the scope of a work which seems to us one of 

 the most important contributions to evolution doctrine 



