xvii THE METHOD OF ORGANIC EVOLUTION 365 



Poulton, it was hardly fair to pass the subject by as if 

 nothing had been done but pure conjecture. He also ignores 

 the continuous advance that is being made in determining 

 the utilities of the innumerable modifications in the forms 

 and arrangement of the leaves and other of the non-floral 

 appendages of plants by Kerner, Lubbock, and many other 

 observers ; as well as the light thrown on colour and 

 marking as specific characters in the higher animals by 

 the consideration of the value of distinctiveness for pur- 

 poses of recognition, a character of life-preserving value 

 in the case of many animals, and in all of great importance 

 to reproduction, and an essential factor in the differentia- 

 tion of species. It is, therefore, not correct to say, " But 

 as to the particular benefit which one dull moth enjoys as 

 the result of his own particular pattern of dulness as 

 compared with the closely similar pattern of the next 

 species, no suggestion is made." The suggestion has 

 been made {Darwinism, p. 226), and has been accepted 

 as at all events a good working hypothesis by many 

 naturalists. On this question of the utility of characters 

 which are constant characteristics of the species, but whose 

 utility is not apparent to the casual observer, Mr. Bateson 

 uses very strong language. Referring to the case of two 

 ladybirds, the small CoccineUa decempunctaia being exceed- 

 ingly variable, both in colour and spotting, the larger, 

 0. septempicnciata, very constant, he says, " To be asked to 

 believe that the colour of G. septevipundata is constant 

 because it matters to the species, and that the colour of 

 C. deccmpunctata is variable because it does not matter, is 

 to be asked to abrogate reason" (p. 572). I fear that I 

 myself must be in this sad case, for though I have not 

 been asked to believe this unreasonable thing, yet I do 

 believe it ! Of course I may be wrong and Mr. Bateson 

 right, but how is it that he is so absolutely sure that he 

 is right ? 



Before proceeding further we may briefl}^ notice that 

 Mr. Bateson seems to imply that the " meristic," or nu- 

 merical variations, to which he has devoted his volume, 

 are altogether ignored by Darwinians in their adoption of 

 " individual variations " as opposed to " sports " for the 



