THE 



AMERICAN NATURALIST 



Vol. XLIII February, 1909 



CHARLES DARWIN AND THE MUTATION 

 THEORY* 



CHARLES F. COX 



Professor Hugo De Vries, in his American lectures 

 on "Species and Varieties, their Origin bv Mutation," 

 claims that his work is "in full accord with the prin- 

 ciples laid down by Darwin," 1 and boldly asserts that 

 Darwin recognized both "mutation" and individual 



fessor Cope aptly called "the origin of the fittest." I 

 think many persons unfamiliar with Darwin's writings 

 must have been much surprised on reading Professor De 

 Vries 's statement, for it has been a common belief in the 

 scientific world for many years that the establishment 

 of the mutation theory would be fatal to Darwinism, or 

 would at least take from it its most original and essential 

 features. The perpetuation of this impression has been 

 due, very largely, to Mr. Wallace and certain of his fol- 

 lowers who have steadfastly refused to admit the possi- 

 bility of the evolution of species and varieties by any 

 form of saltation and have insisted more uncompromis- 

 ingly than did Mr. Darwin himself upon the exclusive 

 efficiency of selection exercised upon small, recurring in- 

 dividual fluctuations. In fact, many of Mr. Wallace's 

 views have out-Darwined Darwin and yet Darwin, some- 

 what unreasonably, has been held responsible for them. 



* Presidential address at the annual meeting of the New York Academy 

 of Sciences, December 21, 1908. 

 ' Preface by the author, p. ix. 

 2 Second edition, p. 7. 



65 



