238 GEOEGE JOHN ROMANES 1891 



but have gained experience. This prevents me from 

 regarding H.'s result as final, although, as you say, 

 valuable. My scepticism is founded on a queer freak 

 of heredity, which my own work showed me ; but as 

 I think I spoke too much about the experiments I 

 was trying, in future I shall adopt Weismann's method 

 of silence before publication. 



Yours ever, 



Geo. J. Eomanes. 



One of the experiments Mr. Romanes tried in the 

 summers of 1891-93 was as to whether animals 

 completely isolated would reproduce the real sounds 

 natural to their kind. In other words, whether these 

 vocal sounds were due to imitation. Through the 

 kindness of Mr. Arthur Balfour, Mr. Romanes got the 

 permission of the Trinity Brethren to try these experi- 

 ments on lighthouses situated on lonely islands or 

 rocks ; he selected puppies, chickens, &c, but the 

 results were not decisive. The puppies barked and 

 the young cocks crowed, but Mr. Romanes was not able 

 entirely to establish to his own satisfaction that the 

 isolation had been complete. 



Experiments were also carried on bearing on 

 Heliotropism and on Seed Germination. Of these 

 mention will be made later. 



In the spring of 1891, he paid a visit to Paris and 

 saw M. Pasteur and his laboratory, and also M. Brown- 

 Sequard, in whose work he was specially interested. 



And, apart from his work, Oxford and Oxford life 

 were great sources of enjoyment. He made many 

 new friends, and keenly enjoyed the institution, so 

 characteristic of Oxford, of ' walks.' 



Intimacies seemed to grow up quickly, and he 



