Presidential Address. 5 



will agree with me that we are as yet merely on the fringe of the subject, and 

 that the phenomena of adaptation pervades living nature to an extent un- 

 dreamt of by the majority of naturalists. 



In any case, I think that it is quite clear that what we need at present is 

 not expressions of academic opinion in regard to Natural Selection, Adaptation, 

 and so on, but, rather, prolonged study by skilled observers of animals living 

 under natural environment, with the special object of critical investigation 

 of — (1) the phenomena of adaptation and selection ; and (2) other factors 

 which may co-operate with Natural Selection in bringing about evolutionary 

 change. 



A Darwin Institute. 



We have had during the past year many celebrations of the memory of 

 Darwin, but I have seen no suggestion anywhere of the kind of memorial 

 which I should like to see associated with his name. What would, I think, 

 be the memorial most worthy of him would be the foundation of a great 

 research organisation, which would have for its object the pushing forward of 

 investigations into the struggle for existence and the phenomena associated 

 with it in wild Nature. It would be out of place to express anything other 

 than admiration for the patient researches into certain aspects of evolutionary 

 phenomena which are being so actively carried on at the present time. But 

 from the Darwinian point of view many of them are beside the point, and many 

 of the conclusions based upon them are quite unwarranted. Take the case of 

 suddenly arising variations of considerable magnitude for example. It seems 

 absurd to refuse to admit that such " mutations " occur at least occasionally 

 in Nature. But there are doubtless many who, like myself, believe that every 

 race of organisms is, as regards the whole of its complex organisation and 

 functions, in a state of the most delicately poised equilibrium with its highly 

 complex environment, and that it is absolutely dependent for its continued 

 existence on the maintenance of this equilibrium. This being so, we believe 

 that as a general rule any wide variation from the normal would involve a 

 disturbance of the condition of equilibrium, and this would in turn bring 

 about the extermination of the strain of individuals showing such a varia- 

 tion. While therefore readily admitting the possibility of the ever frequent 

 occurrence of such " mutations " in Nature, we should feel inclined to be 

 sceptical as to their playing as a rule any important part in Evolution. 



What then we want is an investigation of living things under strictly 

 natural conditions — a highly organised and thoroughly scientific field Natural 

 History. It is obvious that, as in all investigation of Natural Phenomena, 

 our first aim should be to investigate the phenomena under the most 



