NATURE 



LMarch 14, 1895 



,cns ; o.^»s see. f-^ ^^^^-^l^l^'^^^^ll^.S^I^o^:^ 



ever, c«d the ""'.^Vh, been lately v:sed as an adverse a.gu- 

 do» n. Tb.s staHl. y ha, ^een la gel) ts .^^^ ^^^ ^„,h 



„enMoo.gan.cevolu,.ong neraU^^.F^ -' -«=-'f '*'^ r"" 

 influenced by it, ana s'ouiiy varieties. H'S expeti- 



"•^X^;^?sr^^a!?K^>^'ap.eUhi..^a 



S'osit'oD from »bich he never "...ca.ed h,»sc . , 



P The existence of specific ='»^' "{ 's',,'^-o„ D of >h^ E""'>> 

 Mr. Ca.r^.hers de>-oled his f <5d fi,^ •" f^',' ^^ asce.taired (acts 

 Aesooa.ion in .SS6 'f* "^''"'X /tre"! on the «ell-kno«n 



on the sulject. He '""^P^i^Ke* Museums, as to the flora 

 aata. *bich a.e .nustrated.n the^Ke. Mus^^ ,^^^ ^^ ^^^^.^^ 



:\,i^^^5:ke.ld':vp--«> '"- p-''"'" '-- •'^"' ^""" 



living «P'^-""='''^f:Vin<? illustration is afforded by the history 



An even mo.e sinking '""^'"'],° f Ridgway's researches it 



of sianda.ds of » eight l^'^J'^^'lJJs.^As ("Origin 



appears that these *"« oiigiraiiy "^ finds (p. 182) that 



of'^uirency and ^^ «;e!'^^='>-f ^^n he ba!ley corn." Further. 

 ..,heT.oyg.a.n.snoth,rgmcre^han,hcb y 



..in I28o(8td»ardl0 the penny * ^''f «heat" (p. 



which . . . «"e =>. K„;n. '"'In Setttn.ber, 1887, 1 placed 

 .80). The ratio still obtans In berttn, ^^ '^^^J^.^,^ 



,n the opposite J"''-, j ^,, he ear 'and 24 grains ol bailey 

 and taVcn hem the n>'dst ol 'he 'Y' ^^%,^'|^'',, p.^ p.ticn, 

 ;3ken(Km.icksofea.s8,o»nin the^ame^ „pe,imcnt ; each 

 r.ear Cambridge, and 1 tbrice '^f"'", j, jn"^ weight tuined 



'r '*r..'F:xVheru"rd l:i ^^'^^uy , .f . e^i- 



,he scale. ^ "''l".';' ""^g^ The same (act ol stability can be 

 3 T.oy e-^l"^ (P; \lll „,\d as standards ol «eieht. No 

 illusliated Horn ether -"os u,<: di<c<-td to veiy much 



>,o.k.rg raturahst *''.' '\". .L%f v^ M, Car.utheis, that 

 „uaiiel »ilb the corclusion airivea at ry iji. _ 



doubtlul il tbeie is any ='t"'"J'',!,;,?" / however, pie(er to 

 b,okcn down by afpicp.ate -^'.t^^-^/ltS,"!;: n,e'an specific 



^> '-' •'""Vitulo ble under F..maner,.l> umloim conditions. 

 (01m is 31 preciablj stable unoerp^^^^^^j^, 



^^^h^'inrei^eir^f ^u:s'tr:.nhc'n";ises. how I this stability 

 .eceived the attcn.icn it <l^;'^"^„„^''i,e^;'rs evidently « ell 



-^:^n:^■■::^^^ ^:^ ^as S^^ — "^-»''°" °^ ''^ 



^^Tn dealing ,i.h the f-.s re.er.ea to a-;,- -^;o >he Eg, pt.an 

 flora, he '^PW sa)s : '. In Ig)P>. ^," '^'^V,^ kno«, have 

 lfccu.>and yea.s. the "".'^' '°"f. ^.'. ^ •' fn ' ^th ed. p. .69.) The 

 ..maincd aUo.uiely vn,lo,m. < /f ' B'" ° {^ ,hai under 



i„.,l,ca.i.n, ibcvgh he f °'„^ T^" ^^^^'^^.''^^ ^ 

 .uch c.utn.stantes <=^o.utitn is n abe)ance_ tendency 



i, „.ms to me that we """^^^f"". ^.jf,, deve opment." Mr. 

 lowaids P-'-ft'"-" ,j';'*,hc cr.efa e pilncipl/with greater 

 D».*in '"'"'^^*f "hience of changed conditions accumu- 

 dtfiniteness. The 'r'"""" °' " ' "iotcies until u has been 



,i,h De V.ln.o..r., cit.d by ^'';,f^"*'7„/- ^^nner whatever, 



,he de.i.ed variation will poorer o' late, appear ^^^ ^ 



''r^'^ '"M^Dariii't'e" us^* • kfte^a do» n ger.ei'a.ion. 

 to liability. Mr- uarwin icMs variety would 



„, -"■."•.'■--■;:„'»,p-,^:';^u!;r: i'liz, "m.^nt con. 



""•»"> .f^r. oo»,r " ielH.rtili-aiicn," p. 460,) The same fact 

 ■*"!;""■ .* M ■• bv the u.vivaldu.ingat Wasthall a cenlu.y of the 



"— ^'i^ti;=r:hr^::::^aS::n;aSu;i; 



l-;-e.^:avi onc-.liat". cltirction^ (C/. Da.w.n. - Life." .... 

 276.) 



NO. 1324. ^'OL. 5U 



(„) The case of wheat ^ V^^^^^'l^X^'Z it'mayt 

 worth while pressing the ^^-f "" ;°°„n<,,t i" "ower of 

 xemaiked that wheat has by "^ J""^'J?fVhe improved 

 variability Mr. C3">;^1-^ ;^°-'; '.ul^ hav'ebeen 



varieties of our ceieals now under Senei individual 



obtained almost emirely f'^"^^ ''^' "'","'" ?" „. 684.) Mr. 

 rlants." <7.."". A-- -X"; ^f.'-: 1 SI quotes" I'he authorities 

 Darwin (" Animals and Plants >• f>^) J°''^- ■ - ..- 



I 



Darwin (" Animals ana r.ams "ifi'vntea'byThe lake-dwellers 

 for the statement that <*'' «'^",\'^""^|i„J^' -admit that for 

 in Switzerland had «o--allgn.^ 



a very l°"g P"'°^ 'j;'^ to n e to p.ove nothing more than that 



SuJS^^rasl^s,at|.^^h I ^Ijia^-;;^-- 



lie r is generally accepted tut ;hh Darwm ( .-^i- ..6> 

 i'antt pul liy hand on the" Xe^e. that the size of the gra.n 



" irso'ThilTc°uld be unfavourable .0 its increase. De Can- 



^JL ('"L'o ».re des plantes cultivees," p. 37o) ^'^8"^%''^,^ 

 dolle ( ^°"j''^'-,,,,,,'u„i.piant as extinct, and suggests that 



onginal sou.ce of '.'!f;^^"' ?'X^ „-,ayhave been the cause. 



the attractiveness °f ''' fl^^''°l^^t^xrul cultivation it would 



f «i'?,;s':ir/.vc: X.».d ,. ...., i. ...■*.. 



to the point. It s now p'e ) , ^^^, 



Snilrma^S^^-^^Scut^ion, proves^o be 

 extremely variable. in-Doilant licht is thrown upon 



given Mr. Darwin P""''"P'"'"';^„f„„,. ^cme organ in each 

 ^ Prof. ^Veldon measures ve.y ""^"^^^^^"tnems are plotted 

 individual of a B-en popu lat.on^ The r^J-^-J^.^^^^^ .J^ „,h 



cut akrg a ba.c ''"« ' !'\',;'"";7',,°,ed propcrtionalely by 

 each measurement ""j-'^^^^, X^ ,iie The summits when 

 lines d.awn re'F'"'l>':»'" '° '''f.'^^ ' ,d 3 />,•,;«<«./ <«'^'-- Fof 



7ya„s .Sga. A-. ri'^ ^''^'^Ueims "a frequency cu.ve which 

 Piof. Karl Pearson (p- 72) '^""- , , ,,^.',i,„ -iior cuive, a 

 for practical purposes can - -Pj- ^ \?;,S: is only 1 

 noimal cuive. Such a ro ma c»i e _ 1^,^^,^ ,^^.^ ^,,,:^,,, . 

 another way of icp.esentirg '^/^ ";,"" ° p^o«e was the o.dirary 

 as I stated above, there «-,=■-■].' ^^J^^^^ ,,,:,, of measure- , 

 law of variation, tor he »>'i^^ mobably .issume 



r:hSi.-v:;ab,nrJuio;:r'fe^'^.oductionana 



.';ffi:rt''re!^":nT:orL?rn^factcr in the stability I 



problem. chosen (at random, except ' 



^ "About 70CO females ■ ■ • "* ' 'J,°i'"3*werc measured fn 

 as regards , heir si.e) and ;« '"j^';- ^^"^ ^-i,,, „,o.e of the 

 each. The results «"=. **'" .'^"""P „ a sample of .000 

 corresponding me.isurements, "^a'C >!P° 



adult females liom •>^\'='"''; '°'.TXctive destruction" takes 

 The result was to '^ow that selccM^e a ^^^^^ ^^^ 



place in -''V''? ":';^^1.;of W don arnves at the conclusion 

 " mean specific fo.m. '.""■"!', action shoUd be sensibly 

 .. that the position of '"'""^ ""..f^ "'c ry"tem," is a condition 

 coircidcnt with the n^"" "'.'l f^ a large number of species, 

 which ■• n ay be expecled .'^ 1^?''' ^j.Vo eir present su/round- 

 which are sensibly in "l"'"'!' ■»^;^if,^;\' ,,,' „,« best." The 

 ings, so that their -""„^^'^ „'»<='„7 i.^fa";. i'n my opinion, de- 

 actual ^'••''■*''"';';j;'^' 'he most rema.kable achievements m 

 sfives 10 tank amcngsi iii>- ■ 



connection with the theory »' ;;o>" -"o.mal, P.of. Ka.l I'eanon 

 (,3, NVhen ^^ll^^'^y-^:^^Z7",^e particular foim o 

 .feis "the ""."'« »\*K'.\.„„:^;,n m^v in this case be able 





natuial selection 



. rf .^suie at a given time 01 sui.ic i^... . -"— ■- , 

 lion/' The mathematician may in this ease be able 



