﻿( 
  xxxvii 
  ) 
  

  

  struck 
  him 
  as 
  possible 
  that 
  suitable 
  conditions 
  might 
  cause 
  

   reversion 
  to 
  either 
  of 
  these 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  results 
  obtained 
  by 
  

   him 
  might 
  not 
  be 
  inconsistent 
  with 
  the 
  Weismann 
  theory 
  in 
  

   its 
  essence. 
  He 
  would 
  not, 
  however, 
  venture 
  to 
  form 
  an 
  

   opinion 
  how 
  the 
  temperature 
  operated 
  ; 
  he 
  should 
  be 
  inclined 
  

   to 
  say 
  that 
  it 
  produced 
  some 
  effects 
  which 
  provisionally, 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  further 
  knowledge, 
  might 
  be 
  called 
  direct. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  W. 
  Bateson 
  read 
  a 
  paper 
  entitled 
  " 
  On 
  the 
  variation 
  in 
  

   the 
  colour 
  of 
  the 
  cocoons 
  of 
  Kriogaster 
  lanestris 
  and 
  Saturnia 
  

   carpini," 
  and 
  exhibited 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  specimens 
  in 
  illus- 
  

   tration 
  of 
  the 
  paper. 
  

  

  Lord 
  Walsingham 
  congratulated 
  Mr. 
  Bateson 
  on 
  his 
  paper, 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  intelligent 
  care 
  and 
  method 
  shown 
  in 
  his 
  experi- 
  

   ments, 
  and 
  said 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  glad 
  to 
  see 
  that 
  at 
  Cambridge 
  

   there 
  was 
  an 
  entomologist 
  ready 
  to 
  enter 
  this 
  interesting 
  field 
  

   of 
  investigation, 
  and 
  perhaps 
  at 
  some 
  future 
  day 
  to 
  contest 
  

   the 
  palm 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Poulton 
  as 
  representing 
  the 
  sister 
  Uni- 
  

   versity 
  of 
  Oxford. 
  He 
  had 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  larvse 
  of 
  S. 
  carpini, 
  

   if 
  left 
  in 
  a 
  box 
  with 
  dead 
  food, 
  and 
  probably 
  partially 
  starved, 
  

   made 
  a 
  light-coloured 
  cocoon 
  ; 
  but 
  that 
  when 
  the 
  cocoon 
  was 
  

   made 
  under 
  natural 
  conditions, 
  on 
  living 
  food-plants 
  on 
  the 
  

   moors, 
  it 
  was 
  of 
  a 
  dark 
  colour. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Poulton 
  said 
  he 
  was 
  glad 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  

   admitting 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Bateson 
  had 
  made 
  out 
  a 
  strong 
  case, 
  

   especially 
  with 
  Eriogaster 
  lanestris, 
  and 
  he 
  congratulated 
  him 
  

   on 
  his 
  results. 
  Mr. 
  Poulton 
  regretted 
  that 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  obser- 
  

   vations 
  which 
  had 
  led 
  him 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  colour 
  

   of 
  certain 
  cocoons 
  can 
  be 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  tints 
  of 
  the 
  environ- 
  

   ment 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  others, 
  inasmuch 
  as 
  he 
  was 
  thus 
  less 
  

   acquainted 
  with 
  the 
  details. 
  The 
  evidence 
  from 
  E. 
  lanestris, 
  

   which 
  at 
  first 
  appeared 
  so 
  strong, 
  was 
  much 
  weakened 
  when 
  

   Eev. 
  W. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Newman 
  subsequently 
  stated 
  that 
  the 
  white 
  

   paper 
  boxes 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  white 
  cocoons 
  were 
  formed 
  had 
  

   been 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  dark 
  cupboard 
  for 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  time 
  of 
  building. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time, 
  if 
  Mr. 
  Bateson's 
  in- 
  

   terpretation 
  be 
  accepted, 
  it 
  is 
  remarkable 
  that 
  about 
  one-third 
  

   of 
  his 
  larvae, 
  which 
  sought 
  the 
  paper 
  voluntarily 
  and 
  undis- 
  

   turbed, 
  should 
  have 
  formed 
  light 
  cocoons, 
  when 
  we 
  remember 
  

   that 
  undisturbed 
  larvae 
  invariably 
  construct 
  dark 
  cocoons 
  

  

  