Geology and Mineralogy. 67 



of always closely adjusted organisms, that we see taking place in 

 nature. 



The imperfection of the theory as a whole does not, however, 

 detract from the honor due to Lamarck for the first announce- 

 ment of the particular laws of evolution for which he is already 

 famous. 



We cannot agree with Professor Packard in describing Darwin 

 as " pushing entirely aside the Erasmus Darwin and Lamarckian 

 factors of change of environment" (p. 382). 



The following quotations from the " Origin of Species " suffi- 

 ciently testify to Darwin's full appreciation of the effects of 

 change of environment : 



In chapter v of the " Origin," on " Laws of Variation " Darwin 

 distinctly states, that the facts of variation " lead to the conclu- 

 sion that variability is generally related to the conditions of life 

 to which each species has been exposed during several successive 

 generations." "The direct action of changed conditions leads to 

 definite and indefinite results," and " when the variation is of the 

 slightest use to any being we cannot tell how much to attribute 

 to the accumulative action of natural selection and how much to 

 the definite action of the conditions of life." And not to stop 

 with these quotations it was the same author of the theory of 

 natural selection who adds, " In one sense the conditions of life 

 may be said not only to cause variability, either directly or indi- 

 rectly, but likewise to include natural selection, for the condi- 

 tions determine whether this or that variety shall survive." 

 (Darwin's Origin of Species, vol. i, pp. 164-167. Appleton edi- 

 tion, 1897.) 



Lamarck's great merit consists in his unswerving advocacy of 

 the theory of specific mutability, and the clear formulation of 

 several very important factors of organic evolution. But his 

 theory includes several factors which science cannot authenticate, 

 and it lacks factors which are essential to a working hypothesis 

 of organic evolution. 



We close the book, after a careful reading, with the convic- 

 tion forced, upon us that Lamarck's theory, pure and simple, is 

 not an adequate substitute for the more complete and rational 

 Darwinian theory of evolution. 



Chapters are added presenting Lamarck's views on the 

 evolution of man, his thoughts on morals and the relation of 

 science to religion, and a brief summary of the views of the 

 more important Neo-Lamarckians. A complete bibliography 

 of Lamarck's works is published at the end. h. s. w. 



2. Congres Geologique international • Comptes Rendus de la 

 VIII' session, en France (by the President, Albert Gaudry, and 

 general secretary, Charles Barrois), two volumes, pp. 1-1314, 

 figures 1-84, plates i-xxii. Paris, 1901. These two volumes give 

 an account of the proceedings of the Congress held at the time 

 of the Exposition in Paris in 1900. Besides the reports of commit- 

 tees a larger than usual number of scientific papers appear. 



