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8GiEJsrc:E, 



LVoL. IX., No, 210 



sidered as a theory of the origin of species, the 

 theory of natural selection is inadequate. The 

 evidence going to make up this proof falls under 

 three heads : first, the inutility to species of a 

 larger proportional number of their specific char- 

 acters ; second, the general fact of steriKty be- 

 tween allied species, which it is admitted cannot 

 be explained by natural selection, and therefore 

 has hitherto never been explained ; and, third, 

 the swamping influence, even upon useful varia- 

 tions, of free intercrossing with the parent form. 

 Because of these facts, Mr. Romanes asserts that 

 the theory of natural selection is not a theory of 

 the origin of species at all, but a theory of the 

 cumulative development of adaptations. Physi- 

 ological selection or ' segregation of the fit,' on 

 the other hand, Mr. Romanes brings forward as a 

 theory of the origin of species. After briefly ex- 

 plaining what is meant by physiological selection, 

 — which he does in a way too compact to be 

 abridged, and too long to be quoted, — Mr. Ro- 

 manes turns to his critics, and deals with the 

 objections which they have advanced. Two of 

 them — Messrs. A. R. Wallace and Seebohm — are 

 referred to by name, and Mr. Romanes' criticism 

 of them is very interesting reading. He ascribes 

 the objections of both of these gentlemen to a 

 misunderstanding of what physiological selection 

 really means, and deals with the whole subject 

 in so comprehensive and yet detailed a way, that 

 we may be sure a reply will be provoked from 

 such of the critics as deem themselves misrepre- 

 sented or unfairly used in the present article. 



The current work of the U. S fish commis- 

 sion at its various stations shows gratifying results 

 in hatching young fish. At Washington, 5,000,- 

 000 white-fish eggs are now being hatched, the 

 fry to be sent to Lake Erie. Small lots of Sal- 

 monidae are also being hatched there, principally 

 for the purpose of illustrating the different meth- 

 ods of fish-culture. At Northville and Alpina, 

 Mich., 125,000,000 white-fish eggs were collected 

 during the fall, of which 25,000,000 have been dis- 

 tributed to the state commissioners, for hatching 

 and planting, and about 100,000,000 have been re- 

 served to be hatched at the Northville station, the 

 fry to be placed in the ocean and the great lakes. 

 The station at Wood's Holl has been actively en- 

 gaged in collecting, hatching, and distributing the 

 eggs of cod-fish, of which 26,000,000 have been 

 hatched and planted in Vineyard Sound and other 



adjacent waters. It is probable the total produc- 

 tion of the season will exceed 100,000,000 cod-fish 

 when eggs are obtained from the Ipswich-Bay 

 school. At Wytheville, Va., the collecting of 

 California trout eggs is now in fuU progress, over 

 100,000 eggs having been obtained, of which fifty 

 per cent will be distributed in lots of 5,000 and 

 10,000 to the different state commissions, the bal- 

 ance to be hatched and reared at the station, and 

 distributed as yearling fish to the streams of the 

 Appalachian region in Pennsylvania, Virginia, 

 West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and Ten- 

 nessee. 



The debate in the senate on the appropriations 

 for the support of the coast survey din:ing the 

 next fiscal year shows the appreciation by that 

 body of the importance of making appropriations 

 sufficient to cany on the service effectively. The 

 house pared the items down in a parsimonious 

 spirit, and with a false idea of economy, without 

 consulting the coast survey officials, or the treas- 

 ury department, or the needs of the service. The 

 senate appropriations committee addressed a letter 

 to the secretary of the treasury, inquiring if the 

 estimates as submitted by the superintendent of 

 the coast survey were satisfactory to that depart- 

 ment. The secretary replied that the estimates as 

 submitted were entirely satisfactory, and fully 

 sustained the superintendent of the coast survey. 

 He also submitted an interesting and instructive 

 communication from Mr. Thorn, showing the rea- 

 sons for each item of expenditure and the present 

 condition of the service, which we have not room 

 to print. The secretary closed his letter with the 

 following observation : "From these communica- 

 tions it appears that the estimates made provis- 

 ion for the efficient and economical prosecution of 

 the survey during the ensuing year ; it also ap- 

 pears that the provision made by the house bill 

 will not secure such results : consequently the 

 arrangement there made is not satisfactory to 

 this department." 



The explanation given by the investigators of 

 the Plymouth epidemic of the origin of that epi- 

 demic has by some been regarded as unsatisfac- 

 tory,, because it required the acceptance of the 

 theory that typhoid-fever germs could retain vi- 

 tahty after being exposed to the intense cold 

 which prevails in that latitude during the winter. 

 Dr. J. S. Billings, U.S. A,, has been experimenting 

 on this point, and gives the results of his experi- 



