June 20, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



989 



not have been prepared, encouraged her father 

 in the days of his blindness and neglect, by 

 saying 'La posterite vous honorera.' And 

 this has come true. Lamarck, who strug- 

 gled with poverty and other depressing condi- 

 tions, whose views were laughed to scorn by 

 Cuvier, and neglected by the intellectual 

 leaders of his time, is now receiving honor and 

 recognition. His original and philosophical 

 mind dealt with some of the burning ques- 

 tions of our day, and he is now placed above 

 Cuvier as a thinker, and heralded, by many, 

 as the most colossal figure in the history of the 

 philosophy of organic nature, between Aris- 

 totle and Darwin. This fresh interest in 

 Lamarck's views makes Dr. Packard's book 

 especially timely. 



A number of new biographical facts are 

 added to the few that have been generally 

 known, and the book is illustrated with four 

 portraits of Lamarck, pictures of his birth- 

 place, the house in which he lived in Paris, 

 etc. In reference to the analysis of his writ- 

 ings the author says: 'As regards the account 

 of Lamarck's speculative and theoretical 

 views, I have, so far as possible, preferred, by 

 abstracts and translations, to let him tell his 

 own story, rather than to comment at much 

 length myself on points about which the ablest 

 thinkers and students differ so much.' This 

 part of the author's task has been especially 

 well done. Nowhere else can one find in a 

 single volume such a comprehensive survey of 

 Lamarck's theoretical writings. 



The growth and essential features of his 

 theory of organic evolution are shown by 

 ample quotations. This theory was un- 

 folded in 1800 and fully expoimded in 1809 

 in the well-knovsm 'Philosophie Zoologique.' 

 The various expressions of his views in 1800, 

 1802, 1803 and 1806, as leading up to the 

 latter work, are well illustrated, and seventy- 

 six pages are devoted to quotations from the 

 'Philosophie Zoologique.' 



Several current misconceptions are cor- 

 rected, as for example — the earliest expression 

 of Lamarck's views, as far as his published 

 writings show, was in 1800, in the introductory 

 lecture to his course on the invertebrates, not, 

 as commonly believed, in his 'Recherches suj* 



rOrganisation des Corps . Vivans,' published 

 in 1802. Incidentally, also, in reference to 

 Buffon, it is shown that his opinions on the 

 variability of species were not separated into 

 three periods, but that from the time he be- 

 gan to express his views on that matter, to 

 the end of his life, he was an advocate of the 

 mutability of species. 



Lamarck's work is treated from all sides; 

 in addition to the exposition of his views on 

 organic evolution, there are chapters on his 

 work in botany, geology, invertebrate paleon- 

 tology, general physiology and biology, zool- 

 ogy, his thoughts on morals and on the rela- 

 tion of science and religion, and on the rela- 

 tion of his evolutionary views to those of 

 Buffon, St. Hilaire and Erasmus Darwin. 

 There is also a fine chapter on ISTeolamarck- 

 ism. 



Thoroughness and breadth are notable fea- 

 tures in this account of Lamarck and his life 

 work. 



William A. Locy. 



BOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 



EIGHTH REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOTANICAL 

 SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON. 



The eighth regular meeting of the Botanical 

 Society of Washington was held at the Port- 

 ner Hotel, May 24, 1902, with President A. F. 

 Woods in the chair. At the conclusion of the 

 business meeting, Dr. B. M. Duggar, chair- 

 man of program for the evening, was called 

 upon to preside. 



Mr. E. L. Morris called attention to speci- 

 mens of Trillium found near Great Falls of 

 the Potomac River which produced long- 

 petioled simple leaves from the rootstock. 

 While recent maniials state that this is occa- 

 sionally true for the genus, the speaker had 

 failed to find specimens in any herbaria exam- 

 ined which exhibited this character. 



Mr. M. B. Waite stated that the ordinary 

 two weeks' interval had proved too long in 

 spraying apple trees for bitter rot. In experi- 

 ments the present season in Virginia, the 

 third treatment was made just after the petals 

 had fallen and while the trees were moder- 

 ately covered with foliage. Two weeks from 

 this time the trees were found to have made 



