PROFESSOR LANKESTER AND LAMARCK. 265 



variety of cases of structural cliange in animals and 

 plants brought about in tlie individual by adaptation 

 (during its individual life-history) to new conditions. 

 Some of these are very marked changes, such as the 

 loss of its horny coat in the gizzard of a pigeon fed on 

 meat ; hut in no single instance could Professor Semper 

 show — although it was his object and desire to do so 

 if possible — that such change was transmitted from 

 parent to offspring. Lamarckism looks all very well 

 on paper, but, as Professor Semper's book shows, when 

 put to the test of observation and experiment it col- 

 lapses absolutely." 



I should have thought it would have been enough if it 

 had collapsed without the " absolutely," but Professor 

 Ray Lankester does not like doing things by halves. 

 Few will be taken in by the foregoing quotation, ex- 

 cept those who do not greatly care whether they are 

 taken in or not ; but to save trouble to readers who 

 may have neither Lamarck nor Professor Semper at 

 hand, I will put the case as follows : — 



Professor Semper writes a book to show, we will say, 

 that the hour-hand of the clock moves gradually for- 

 ward, in spite of its appearing stationary. He makes 

 his case sufficiently clear, and then might have been 

 content to leave it ; nevertheless, in the innocence of 

 his heart, he adds the admission that though he had 

 often looked at the clock for a long time together, he 

 had never been able actually to see the hour-hand 

 moving. " There now," exclaims Professor Eay Lan- 

 kester on this, " I told you so ; the theory collapses 

 absolutely ; his whole object and desire is to show that 



