558 
IAA R EE 
[APRIL 15, 1897 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 
(The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions ex- 
pressed by hts correspondents. Neither can he undertake 
to return, or to correspond with the writers of, rejected 
manuscripts tntended for this or any other part of NATURE. 
No notice is taken of anonymous communications.) 
Organic Selection, 
IN certain recent publications, an hypothesis has been pre- 
sented, which seems in some degree to mediate between the 
two rival theories of heredity. The point of view taken in 
these publications is briefly this :—Assuming 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 former quite independently of any direct in- 
heritance of acquired characters. For organisms which survive 
‘through adaptive modification will hand on to the next genera- 
tion any “* coincident variations ”’ (z.e. congenital variations in 
the same direction as adaptive modification) which they may 
chance to have, and also allow further variations in the same 
direction. In any given series of generations, the individuals of 
which survive through their susceptibility to modification, there 
will be a gradual and cumulative development of coincident 
variations under the action of natural selection. The adaptive 
modification acts, in short, as a screen to perpetuate and develop 
congenital variations and correlated groups of them. Time is 
thus given to the species to develop by coincident variation 
characters indistinguishable from those which were due to 
acquired modification, and the evolution of the race will pro- 
ceed in the lines marked out by private and individual adapta- 
tions. It will appear as if the modifications were directly in- 
herited, whereas in reality they have acted as the fostering 
nurses of congenital variations. 
It follows also that the likelihood of the occurrence of co- 
incident variations will be greatly increased with each succeed- 
ing generation, under this ‘‘ screening ” influence of modifica- 
tions ; for the mean of the congenital variations will be shifted 
in the direction of the adaptive modifications, seeing that under 
the operation of natural selection upon the preceding generation, 
variations which are not coincident tend to be eliminated.” 
Furthermore, it has recently been shown that, independently 
of physical heredity, there is among the higher animals a process 
by which there is secured a continuity of social environment, so 
that those organisms which are born into a social community, 
such as the animal family, accommodate themselves to the ways 
and habits of that community. Prof. Lloyd Morgan,? following 
Weismann and Hudson, has employed the term ‘tradition ” 
for the handing on of that which has been acquired by preceding 
generations ; and I have used the phrase ‘‘ social heredity ” for 
the accommodation of the individuals of each generation to 
the social environment, whereby the continuity of tradition is 
secured.* 
It appears desirable that some definite scheme of terminology 
should be suggested to facilitate the discussion of these problems 
of organic and mental evolution ; and I therefore venture to 
submit the following :— 
(1) Variation : to be restricted to ‘* blastogenic ” or congenital 
vaniation. 
(2) Accommodation ; functional adaptation of the individual 
organism toits environment. This term is widely used in this sense 
by psychologists, and in an analogous sense by physiologists.® 
1H. F. Osborn, Prec. N.Y. Acad. of Sci., meeting of March 9 and 
April 13, 1896; also Scrence, November 27, 1896. C. Lloyd Morgan, 
““Habit and Instinct,’’ October 1896, pp: 307 ff. ; also Science, November 
20, 1896. J. Mark Baldwin, discussion before N.Y. Acad. of Sci. meeting 
of January 3r, reported in full in Science, March 20, 1896; also Amen. 
Naturalist, June and July 1896. The following brief statement has been 
prepared in consultation with both Principal Morgan and Professor Osborn. 
I may express indebtedness to both of them for certain suggestions which 
they allow me to use, and which I incorporate verbally in the text. Among 
them is the suggestion that ‘ Organic Selection” should be the title of this 
letter. While feeling that this co-operation gives greater weight to the 
communication, at the same time I am alone responsible for the publication 
of it as it here stands. 
“This aspect of the subject has been especially emphasised in my own 
exposition (Amer. Naturalist, June 1896, pp. 447 fi). 
© $Introduction to ‘* Comp. Psych.,” pp. 170, 210; ‘* Habit and Instinct,” 
p. 183, 342. 
wae Metal Development in the Child and the Race,’ rst ed., January 
1895, P. 364; Sczvence, August 23, 1895. ‘ < 
° Prof. Osborn suggests that ‘‘individual adaptation” suffices for this ; 
but that phrase does not mark well the distinction between ‘‘ accommoda- 
tion” and “modification.” ‘‘ Adaptation” is used currently in a loose 
general sense. 
NO. 1433, VOL. 55] 
(3) Modification (Lloyd Morgan): change of structure or 
function due to accommodation. To embrace ‘‘ ontogenic 
variations ’ (Osborn), z.e. changes arising from all causes during 
ontogeny. , : 
(4) Coincident Variations (Lloyd Morgan) : variations which 
coincide with, or are similar in direction to, modifications. 
(5) Organic Selection (Baldwin): the perpetuation and de- 
velopment of congenital coincident variations in consequence 
of accommodation. 
(6) Orthoplasy (Baldwin): the directive or determining in- 
fluence of organic selection in evolution. ! 
(7) Orthoplastic Influences (Baldwin) : all agencies of accom- 
modation (e.g. organic plasticity, imitation, intelligence, &c.), 
considered as directing the course of evolution through organic 
selection. 
(8) Tradition (Lloyd Morgan): the handing on from genera- 
tion to generation (independently of physical heredity) of 
acquired habits. . 
(9) Social Heredity (Baldwin): the process by which the 
individuals of each generation acquire the matter of tradition, 
and grow into the habits and usages of their kind.” 
Princeton University, March 13. J. MARK BALDWIN. 
Unfelt Earthquakes. 
THE Icelandic earthquakes, on several occasions mentioned 
in Nature—e.g. November 5, 1896—have been recorded also 
by the horizontal pendulum (system y. Rebeur) of Strassburg. 
I give the dates in Greenwich M.T. 
1896. liye ete Sh, hoy meyese 
Aug. 26, Begin 11 22 gp.m. End Aug. 27 0 58 37 a.m. 
Max. lie22597 uae until OmU3 4 yume 
>, 27. Begin 10 50 18a.m. End Ir 5018 ,, 
{ Succeeded by) 
Max. II I 32 4, 4 a series of ;12 39 38 p.m. 
| tremorsuntil | 
>> 3i. Begin’ (8927 Somes End 11 38 2a.m. 
Max. 8 29 56 ,, aa 9° 42°12" 55 
Sept. 5. Small disturbance at 12 50 Op.m. 
“5 6. Begin © 31 34 ,, ; O41 4a.m. 
Tremors succeeded Sept. 6 and 12. 
5» 12. Begin) 8 754) eee End 
Deduct max. 8 39 38 ,, to 10 34.227 55 
33 13. Begin sh) 28 sonees End 6: Ag hr6as: 
The whole of September was very troubled ; small perturb- 
ations were observed on the 7th, 8th, 14th, 16th, 19th; greater 
ones on the 22nd, 24th, 25th The time of the perturbations 
above agrees very well with the disturbances of the Paris and 
Edinburgh pendulums. 
Prof. Milne (NATURE, February 25), asks for information 
about some earthquakes observed in February 1897, in the 
Isle of Wight, in Italy, &c. They disturbed very much the 
new pendulum of Strassburg, system Ehlert, as described in 
eitrage sur Geophystk, vol. iii. 209 (Leipzig, Engelmann). 
The system consists of three horizontal pendulums, smaller than 
Rebeur’s, but much heavier, in one box, each set up 120° from 
the other, and directed the first from E. towards W., the 
second from N.W. towards S.E., the third from S.W. towards 
N.E. The movements are photographically recorded, and very 
much enlarged. 
The disturbance of February 7 was unusually large. It com- 
menced on the first pendulum (E. to W.) at 7h. 49m. 50s. a.m., 
and ended at 8h. 46m. 19s. a.m. ; after-shocks were felt until 
gh. 41m. 39s. a.m. The perturbation showed two maximum- 
periods, each divided into two parts. The second pendulum 
(N.W. to S.E.) was disturbed from 7h. 45m. 25s. a.m. ; 
maximum, 8h. 2m. 8s. until 8h. 24m. 28s. ; end, 8h. 4om., 20s. ; 
after-shocks from gh. 26m. until gh. 54m. 
1 Kimer's ‘‘ orthogenesis” might be adopted, were it possible to free it 
from association with his hypothesis of ‘ orthogenic”’ or “‘ determinate’ 
variation and use inheritance. The view which I wish to characterise is 
in some degree a substitute for these hypotheses. 
? Prof. Lloyd Morgan thinks this term unnecessary. It has the adyan- 
tage, however, of falling in with the popular use of the phrases ‘social 
heritage” and ‘‘social inheritance.” On the other hand, tradition seems 
quite inadequate ; as generally used, it signifies that which is handed on, the 
material ; while in the case of animals, we have to deal mainly with the pro- 
cesses of acquisition. ‘‘ Social heredity "also calls attention to the linking 
of one generation to another. However, I think there is room for both 
TO) 40) Oman 
terms. For further justification of the terms ‘social heredity” and 
“organic selection,” I may refer to Amer. Naturalist, July 1896, 
pp. 552 ff. 
