NOTES AND LITEBATURE 



■ HEREDITY 



Spurious Allelomorphism: Results of Some Recent Investiga- 

 tions. — The original conception of a Mendelian character pair was 

 that of two antagonistic characters, one of which dominates the 

 other in such a way as to prevent the development of the other 

 in individuals inheriting both characters, the auhtcfcn of the two 

 being so related to each other in the mechanism of the cell that 

 the pair separates in the reduction division. This conception has 

 recently been modified by leading Memlclian investigators so that 

 now a Mendelian pair is looked upon as presence and absence of 

 a particular Mendelian character, presence being dominant to 

 absence. There are some apparent exceptions to this rule of 

 dominance, but they are probably only apparent. 



Some recent investigations indicate that we must still further 

 modify our conception of pairs of hereditary characters. 

 Bateson was the first to call attention to a ease 1 which he later 2 

 terms spurious allelomorphism. It is a case in which two domi- 

 nant characters behave in transmission as a character pair. 

 i. e., they are alternative in transmission — they can not be trans- 

 mitted by the same parent to a single offspring. Perhaps, at 

 the outset, we should broaden this conception a little so as to 

 provide for the pairing of any two physiologically unrelated 

 characters, whether dominant or recessive. A suitable term to 

 designate such pairs is needed. The term appomorphs would 

 answer the purpose very well were it not for the more or less 

 arbitrary rule of philological fashion that hybrid words are not 

 permitted.. The first two syllables of this word are Latin, and 

 contain the idea of apposition — the two characters are apposed 

 in the reduction division. The last syllable is Greek. Possibly 

 a hybrid word may be permitted in dealing with hybrids unless 

 a good "pure-bred" word can be found. 



erect standard and blue flower color in sweet peas. 3 These two 

 'Science, November 15, 1907. 



» Science, November 17, 1907. 



610 



