EDITOR'S APPENDIX 

 ON ORGANIC SELECTION * 



In certain recent publications f an hypothesis has 

 been presented which seems in some degree to mediate 

 between the two current theories of heredity. The point 

 of view taken in these publications is briefly this: Assum- 

 ing the operation of natural selection as currently held, 

 and assuming also that individual organisms through 

 adaptation acquire modifications or new characters, then 

 the latter will exercise a directive influence on the for- 

 mer quite independently of any direct inheritance of ac- 

 quired characters. For organisms which survive through 



* See pp. 64, 65, above. This appendix reproduces a com- 

 munication made to Science (April 23, 1897) and Nature (April 15, 

 1897), slightly revised. 



f H. F. Osborn, Proceedings of the New York Academy of Sci- 

 ence, meeting of March 9 and April 13, 1896, reported in Science, 

 April 3 and November 27, 1896 ; also American Naturalist, No- 

 vember, 1897. C. Lloyd Morgan, Habit and Instinct, October, 

 1896, pp. 307 ff., also printed in Science, November 20, 1896. 

 J. Mark Baldwin, discussion before the New York Academy of 

 Science, meeting of January 31st, reported in full in Science, 

 March 20, 1896, also American Naturalist, June and July, 1896 ; 

 also see other references given above, p. 64. The following brief 

 statement was prepared in consultation with Principal Morgan 

 and Professor Osborn. 



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