No. 474] 



NOTES AND LITERATURE 



457 



of surrounding media, etc. Lecture 5 deals with adaptations and 

 theories as to their origin, whether internal or external. Lectures 

 6 to 11 are on heredity. Spencer's comparison of heredity to regen- 

 eration of a broken crystal is shown to be incorrect by the fact of 

 heteromorphosis among organisms. Nageli's idioplasm theory and 

 Weismann's germ plasm theory are shown to have been important as 

 forerunners of the still more important ideas of de Vries, though all 

 of these were anticipated in part by the work of Gregor Mendel. 

 One of the lectures on heredity is devoted wholly to an exposition 

 of Mendel's law (of alternative inheritance); another to variation 

 curves, particularly to Galton's pioneer work in this field; another to 

 filial regression, under which head are discussed the divergent views 

 of Galton and Johannsen on regression, and the part played by the 

 ancestors in the laws of heredity of Galton and Mendel respectively. 

 In the final lecture on heredity the nature of the gametes (sex-cells) is 

 shown to be the crucial question with theories of heredity, since in 

 the gametes are contained all the internal factors of form. The 

 phenomena of atavism, reversion, and latent inheritance (cryptomery, 

 Tschermak) here conK> up for consideration. 



quired characters, wludi tIic autlior aiis\v<Ts with a qualified affirm- 



varieties of canary-birds, pigeons, and poultry, and among plants by 



shinsky. Then follow two lectures devoted to th*' miitants of de 

 Vries. In the next six lectures is given a historical survey of theories 

 of evolution up to the time of Darwin, with a brief account of Darwin's 

 life. In a subsequent volume the author proposes to discuss the Dar- 

 winian theory and the post-Darwinian literature. 



The volume already issued is a marvel of prompt publication 

 a.lmirablv <loi)e. The preface is dated Septemb(>r 11, V.m, and the 

 plat(>> coutain half-tone illustrations made from photoirraplis lak.'u in 

 Se{)tenil)er, I'X)."). Three months later the fini>lied work i> dclivi rcd 

 in America, yet no evidence of haste is seen in the execution of the 

 work; it is up to the usual standard of Fischer's publications, wiiich 

 statement in itself is sufficient praise. 



