Natural Selection still Necessary 209 



of organic selection, yet the latter, in my opinion, can 

 nevertheless not be defined, as it has been (cf. the Annee 

 Biologiqice, V., 1901, p. 388), as 'the natural selection of 

 coincident variations.' And the criticisms, as, for example, 

 that reported {ibid., p. 388) as made by Plate, which get 

 their point from the limitation of the application of the 

 theory to cases of coincident variations, lose their force 

 when we recognize that such a limitation is not necessary. 



§ 4. Natural Selection still Necessary 



Such a criticism takes the form of the question as to the 

 further utility of congenital variations, especially those of 

 the coincident tendency, when by the use of accommoda- 

 tions, the individuals can already cope with the environment. 

 Put generally, this criticism would read : does not the 

 theory of organic selection, by showing that accommodation 

 does supplement imperfect organs and functions, make it 

 unnecessary that variation and natural selection should be 

 further operative ? This leads, it would appear, to the 

 extreme position of the organicists, as is illustrated by the 

 quotation made from Pfeffer on an earlier page.^ It seems 

 to be also the opinion of Delage (see the Annee Biologique, 

 III., 1899, p. 512). 



This criticism is fully met, I think, when we remember 

 that natural selection may seize upon any utility, additional 

 to that already springing from any functions which animals 

 may perform, no matter how they may perform them. 

 Many functions may be passably performed through ac- 

 commodation, supplementing congenital characters, which 

 would be better performed were the congenital characters 

 strengthened. Congenital variation would in these cases 



1 Note to p. 184. 



