
NOTES AND LITERATURE. 
BIOGRAPHY. 
Lamarck’s Life and Work.' — It would be difficult to single out 
from the naturalists of the past one more appropriate for biographical 
treatment at the present time than Lamarck. The renewed interest 
taken in his work in the last two decades, and the appearance of 
such books as Darwin's Life and Letters and the recent biography 
of Huxley suggest some extended treatment of the greatest of the 
precursors of the Darwinian movement. Unfortunately, the material 
for such a study is meager in the extreme, and Dr. Packard has been 
obliged to search assiduously for the relatively few facts he can 
record of the life of the great French naturalist. The biographical 
portion of the work is contained in the first sixty-five pages. Then 
follows a general estimate of Lamarck by contemporary and later 
biologists. Lamarck's wide range of activities is next reviewed in 
chapters dealing with his work in meteorology and physical science, 
in geology, in invertebrate paleontology, in general physiology, in 
botany, and in zodlogy. This is followed by a historical treatment 
of the theory of evolution leading up to Lamarck’s contribution to 
it. The last chapter is on Neolamarckism, and the volume is con- 
cluded by a bibliography and a short index. There are ten full- 
page illustrations, four of which are portraits of Lamarck. 
The biographical chapters, which really form the introduction to 
the body of the work, give one the impression of uncritical methods. 
Dr. Packard was unable to find in Paris any exact statement of 
Lamarck’s birthplace, and he undertook the very worthy task of 
seeking it out for himself. His belief, however, that the house that 
he was shown at Bazentin was the place in question rests upon 
the unsupported statement of the village schoolmaster, who, we are 
told, left his duties in the schoolroom to point out the ancient struc- 
ture. Possibly Dr. Packard may be correct, but the whole account 
has much more the air of French politeness than of scientific 
acumen. Still more unsettling are the statements concerning 

1 Packard, A. S. Lamarck, the Founder of Evolution, his Life and Work. 
New York, Longmans, Green & Co., 1901. xii + 451 pp» IO pts- 
495 
