394 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
that ‘“Systematists will be able to pursue their labours as at 
present, but they will not be incessantly haunted by the emg 
doubt whether this or that form be a true species The 
our sorrow, that these disputes have. not ceased, and that there is 
just as much doubt on the point in many cases as there was fifty 
years ago. rofessor Bateson laments the “isolation of the 
systematists” as ‘the one most melancholy sequela of Darwinism,’ 
and adds, ‘ Should there not be something disquieting in the fact 
that among the workers who come most into contact with specific 
differences are to be found the only men who have failed to be 
persuaded of the “intend of those differences?” (p. 89). 
At any rate the outside observer, impassionately dealing with” 
the purely biological portion of this volume, will have no difficulty 
in coming to the conclusion eon whilst all the writers profess 
themselves evolutionists, and thereby join themselves to many 
an earlier writer than Darwin, scarce any two of them agree as to 
the actual causes and laws of evolution, these being as much in 
dispute as ever. In one direction alone doe s there seem to be real 
progress, and, what is more, genuine hope of real enlightenment, 
and that is in connection with ¢ the Mendelian laws, — curiously 
enough receive but little consideration in this volum Professor 
Bateson seems to express gratification that Darwin ena saw the 
says of his ‘Soe a ry (p. 96), since an acquaintance with the 
ee of the system of which he was the father might have pre- 
but, as has indeed already been hinted, there are other sections 
t not relate to biological eT in the strict sense of 
e wor 
“ Darwinism or sto me Sir Geo orge Darwin discusses the 
relation of his father’ s 7 eae) to “ The Genesis of Double Stars,” 
and Mr. Whetham, in what is, in many re ects, the most indies ine 
and arresting article in the book, deals with the “Evolution of 
Matter.” From this brief and te conspectus it ail be 
seen that almost the whole circle of the sciences is touched upon, 
those who wish to see the most recent views of some of the most 
distinguished persons of the present day upon modern scientific 
SMS of widely varying character will here find all that they 
a 
Bertram C, A. WINDLE. 
