I02 The Third and Fourth Generation 



the biologist uses the term " acquired . char- 

 acter." By "acquired character," or better — 

 "acquired modification," is meant some feature 

 which the animal or plant body takes on 

 directly in response to the changing environ- 

 ment, and it is a question whether such acquired 

 modifications are transmissible. 



The older naturalists took this for granted. 

 Thus we find that if certain plants which 

 ordinarily grow in the lowlands are trans- 

 planted to an Alpine environment, high up on 

 the mountain, they become dwarfed, frequently 

 acquire a high degree of hairiness, and not 

 uncommonly the blossoms increase in brilliancy. 

 The progeny of such plants manifest the same 

 modifications, and it was taken for granted 

 that they transmit such to their offspring. 



Our field corn was originally a tropical plant. 

 The varieties that one finds now in the southern 

 states require a long season for maturation. As 

 the corn plant was introduced gradually farther 

 and farther north it began to ripen its seed more 

 rapidly, until we find such northern varieties 

 as Peep o' Day, produced by the northern seed- 



