Letlers, Notes and Extracts. 363 
47. Whitman on the Origin of Species. 
[The Problem of the Origin of Species. By Charies Otis Whitman. 
Reprinted from ‘Congress of Arts and Science, Universal Exposition, 
St. Louis, 1904,’ vol. v. | 
Professor Whitman here attempts to reconcile the theory 
of Natural Selection, as understood by Darwin and Wallace, 
with those of Orthogenesis or “ definitely directed variation 
as the result of the inheritance of acquired characters,” and 
Mutation or “ sudden saltation.” He does not consider that 
they are necessarily contradictory, but thinks that either 
Orthogenesis or Mutation may originate variation and that 
Natural Selection may follow thereupon. Variation may be 
“ orderly ” as well as “ orderless.” The writer elucidates 
his views by means of Pigeons and Doves, in which he con- 
siders the connexion between chequered and barred patterns ; 
while he strongly upholds the view—with which we agree— 
that, where possible, wild forms should be studied in 
preference to fanciers’ varieties, which are seldom more 
than nominally pure. 
XVII.—Letters, Notes and Extracts. 
We have received the following letters addressed “To the 
Editors of ‘The Ibis’ ” :— 
Sirs,—lI have the pleasure of informing your readers that 
I have lately obtained for my collection the following rare 
birds which were captured in this country :— 
They are (1) a young example of Larus leucopterus, killed in 
November 1905 on the lagoons near Venice, and constituting 
the first trustworthy record for Italy ; (2) an adult male, in 
full spring dress, of Larus ichthyaétus, captured on the Isola 
Vacea (Sardinia), May 6th, 1906. ‘This is the third occur- 
rence of the bird in Italy, and it may be mentioned that 
the first two specimens obtained were taken by myself 
at the same spot*. Recently, at the beginning of last 
December, I received from the neighbourhood of Padua a 
* @f. EK. Arrigoni Degli Oddi, Man, Orn. Ital, p. 805 (1904). 
