﻿( 
  xxxvi 
  ) 
  

  

  Weismann's 
  original 
  theory, 
  viz., 
  that 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  refrigeration 
  

   was 
  to 
  bring 
  about 
  reversion 
  to 
  the 
  ancestral 
  glacial 
  form. 
  But 
  

   apart 
  from 
  any 
  theoretical 
  considerations, 
  he 
  considered 
  that 
  

   Mr. 
  Merrifield 
  was 
  to 
  be 
  congratulated 
  on 
  the 
  important 
  con- 
  

   tribution 
  to 
  the 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  temperature 
  on 
  

   lepidopterous 
  pupae, 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  been 
  enabled 
  to 
  make 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  the 
  carefully 
  conducted 
  series 
  of 
  experiments 
  carried 
  

   on 
  for 
  several 
  years, 
  and 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  from 
  

   time 
  to 
  time 
  communicated 
  to 
  the 
  Society. 
  Prof. 
  Meldola 
  

   further 
  remarked 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  particularly 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  

   way 
  in 
  which 
  Mr. 
  Merrifield 
  had 
  eliminated 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  

   light, 
  and 
  had 
  shown, 
  as 
  he 
  thought 
  conclusively, 
  that 
  the 
  

   effects 
  were 
  due 
  to 
  temperature 
  alone. 
  He 
  (Prof. 
  Meldola) 
  

   had 
  always 
  been 
  of 
  opinion 
  that 
  light 
  had 
  nothing 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  

   the 
  observed 
  modifications 
  of 
  colour. 
  With 
  reference 
  to 
  

   Lord 
  Walsingham's 
  remarks 
  concerning 
  the 
  possible 
  action 
  

   of 
  the 
  ultra-violet 
  rays 
  in 
  affecting 
  the 
  chemical 
  processes 
  

   concerned 
  in 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  pigment, 
  Prof. 
  Meldola 
  pointed 
  

   out 
  that 
  the 
  notion 
  that 
  some 
  specially 
  active 
  chemical 
  force 
  

   existed 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  spectrum 
  had 
  long 
  been 
  abandoned. 
  

   Any 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  spectrum 
  might 
  be 
  chemically 
  active 
  ; 
  it 
  de- 
  

   pended 
  on 
  the 
  absorbtive 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  substance 
  for 
  the 
  

   particular 
  rays. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  C. 
  G. 
  Barrett 
  referred 
  to 
  experiments 
  performed 
  some 
  

   twenty 
  years 
  since 
  by 
  confining 
  larvae 
  under 
  coloured 
  glasses, 
  

   which, 
  however, 
  had 
  produced 
  no 
  effect. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Jenner 
  Weir 
  said 
  he 
  had 
  seen 
  Mr. 
  Merrifield's 
  long 
  

   series 
  by 
  daylight, 
  which 
  made 
  the 
  change 
  of 
  colouring 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  even 
  more 
  conspicuous. 
  

  

  Lord 
  Walsingham 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  thought 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  negative 
  

   results 
  valuable, 
  and 
  expressed 
  the 
  thanks 
  of 
  the 
  meeting 
  to 
  

   the 
  author 
  of 
  the 
  paper. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Merrifield 
  said 
  his 
  results 
  seemed 
  barely 
  consistent 
  

   with 
  Weismann's 
  proposition 
  that, 
  though 
  the 
  summer 
  form 
  

   could 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  assume 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  winter 
  form, 
  

   the 
  converse 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  case. 
  But 
  Prof. 
  Weismann's 
  theory 
  

   was 
  that 
  the 
  change 
  of 
  temperature 
  operated 
  by 
  causing 
  

   reversion 
  to 
  an 
  ancestral 
  form, 
  and, 
  as 
  every 
  individual 
  of 
  a 
  

   seasonally 
  dimorphous 
  species 
  had 
  two 
  lines 
  of 
  ancestry, 
  it 
  

  

  