554 The American Naturalist. [July, 
direction of the traction which the muscle exerted upon them. 
The articulation between the sternum and the clavicle was 
converted into a very complex arthrodial joint, constituting 
almost a ginglymoid articulation. The sixth pair of ribs 
were anchylosed to the bodies of the vertebre, indicating that 
they had ceased to rise and fall with sternal breathing, and 
that respiration was almost exclusively diaphragmatic. The. 
region of the head and first two vertebree of the neck was still 
more striking: the transverse process of the right side of the 
atlas, toward which the head was bent, formed a new articu- 
lation with the under-surface of the jugular process of the 
occipital bone, “a small synovial cavity surrounded this 
acquired articulation, but there was no appearance of a capsu- 
lar ligament ;” the left half of the axis was united by bone to 
the corresponding portion of the third cervical; there was 
found a new upward prolongation of the odontoid peg of the 
axis, and a new accessory transverse ligament to keep it from 
pressing upon the cord. In short, “the anatomy of the shoe- 
maker represents the fixation and subsequent exaggeration of 
the position and tendencies to change which were present in 
his body when he assumed the position for a short period of 
time. 
Rate of Inheritance.—This illustration serves also to empha- 
size the great contrast between the rapidity of individual 
transformation and the slowness of race transformation. No 
one would expect the son of this shoemaker to exhibit any of 
these acquired malformations. Yet Dr. Lane thinks he has 
observed such effects in the third generation by the summa- 
tion of similar influences. 
All paleontological evidence goes to show that the effects of 
normal habits, if transmitted at all, would be entirely imper- 
ceptible in one generation. The horse, for example, has not 
yet completely lost the lateral toes which became useless at 
the end of the upper eocene period. This objection as to rate 
of evolution may be urged with equal force against the 
natural-selection theory. It is obvious that the active pro- 
gressive principle in evolution, whatever it is, must contend 
with the enormous conservative power of inheritance, and 
