248 haeckel's anthropogbnie. 



The last chapters of the " Anthropogenie " are taken up with the 

 account of the development of the various organs in man ; and here 

 the arguments from comparative anatomy, and the presence of rudi- 

 mentary organs, are especially brought forward. We find the same 

 assertive tone here, as throughout the rest of the work, about matters 

 that can hardly be regarded as thoroughly settled. As an instance 

 may be taken the assertion that the primordial renal duct is devel- 

 oped by involution from the epiblast. Although this mode of develop- 

 ment would accord very well with Haeckel's speculations as to the 

 homologies of that organ, it would seem to be at variance with the 

 researches of most embryologists. Such an assertion we hardly think 

 necessary, especially when the great latitude allowed to the evolu- 

 tionist by the doctrine of heterotopy (p. 364) is considered — if an 

 organ be not developed in the place where theoretically it may be 

 expected, this may be attributed to an early phylogenetic wandering 

 of cells from one germ-layer into the other. 



Haeckel's opponents, scientific and unscientific, are treated in some- 

 what cavalier fashion. Among the former, W. His, and among the 

 latter the theologians, come in for a good share of abuse. 



The admirable diagi-ams with which the book is copiously pro- 

 vided, and the useful synoptical tables, will render it valuable for 

 giving a good notion of the doctrine of evolution. An American 

 translation is announced, so that it will shortly be accessible to all. 



