SCIENCE 



Feidat, September 4, 1914 



CONTENTS 



Address of the President of the British Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science: 

 De. William Bateson 319 



The Status of Hypotheses of Polar Wander- 

 ings: Professor Joseph Bareell 333 



Ic Notes and News 340 



University and Educational News 343 



Discussion and Correspondence: — 



Composition and Thought: Middle West.. 344 



•■ BooTcs: — 



Enriques's Problems of Science: Professor 

 C. J. Keyseb. Eaye on X-Mays: Professor 

 H. A. Wilson. Verwom on Irritability: 

 CCS 846 



Regeneration of Antennce: A. N. Caudell .... 352 



Special Articles: — 



A Second Case of Metamorphosis without 

 Parasitism in the Unionidce: Arthur D. 

 HowAKD. Laboratory Notes: Lance Bur- 



LINGAME 358 



MSS. intended for publication and books, etc., intended for 

 review sbould be sent to Professor J. McKeen Cattell, Garrison- 

 on-Hudson, N. Y. 



ADDSESS OF THE PBESIBENT OF THE 



BRITISH ASSOCIATION FOB THE AD.- 



VANCEMENT OF SCIENCEi 



At Melbourne I spoke of the new knowl- 

 edge of the properties of living things 

 which Mendelian analysis has brought us. 

 I indicated how these discoveries are affect- 

 ing our outlook on that old problem of 

 natural history, the origin and nature of 

 species, and the chief conclusion I drew 

 was the negative one, that, though we must 

 hold to our faith in the evolution of species, 

 there is little evidence as to how it has 

 come about, and no clear proof that the 

 process is continuing in any considerable 

 degree at the present time. The thought 

 uppermost in our minds is that knowledge 

 of the nature of life is altogether too slen- 

 der to warrant speculation on these funda- 

 mental subjects. Did we presume to offer 

 such speculations they would have no more 

 value than those which alchemists might 

 have made as to the nature of the elements. 

 But though in regard to these theoretical 

 aspects we must confess to such deep igno- 

 rance, enough has been learned of the gen- 

 eral course of heredity within a single spe- 

 cies to justify many practical conclusions 

 which can not in the main be shaken. I 

 propose now to develop some of these con- 

 elusions in regard to our own species, man. 



In my former address I mentioned the 

 condition of certain animals and plants 

 which are what we call "polymorphic." 

 Their populations consist of individuals of 

 many types, though they breed freely to- 

 gether with perfect fertility. In cases of 



1 Second part of the address delivered at Syd- 

 ney on August 20. The first part of the address, 

 delivered at Melbourne on August 14, was printed 

 in the last issue of Science. 



