No. 532] 



XOTES AND LITERATURE 



255 



results and the point of view achieved. This stimulus we owe 

 in no small measure to the author of "Die Mutationstheorie." 

 During this period DeVries himself has continued his activities 

 uninterrupted except by his two visits to America, in which he 

 did much through his letters and the publication of his "Species 

 and Varieties" and "Plant Breeding," to familiarize his views 

 to American biologists. However, the actual detailed data upon 

 which his theory was based, remained largely a sealed book 

 except to readers of German. Even those engaged in active work- 

 on these subjects frequently failed to acquaint themselves suffi- 

 ciently with "Die Mutationstheorie" before breaking into the 

 field of controversy. Particularly is this true of the second 

 volume, the contents of which have been in large part neglected. 



Professor Farmer and Mr. Darbishire have therefore per- 

 formed an important service in translating this work into Eng- 

 lish. The first volume of their translation 1 is the subject of this 

 review. The second volume is promised for April. The work 

 will undoubtedly receive a wide reading by English-speaking 

 biologists, and by others as well. The translation is an excel- 

 lent one, faithful to the German meaning but rendered into 

 idiomatic English. Whatever the degree of one's familiarity 

 with the German edition, a perusal of the work in English will 

 be found profitable and stimulating. 



A few remarks iv<rar<lin<_r the contents of the book itself may 

 not be out of place. In a re-perusal of the work, one is struck 

 with the optimism of its author and with the brilliancy and 

 breadth of his exposition of the views set forth. It is not neces- 

 sary to agree with these views in their entirety in order to appre- 

 ciate these qualities of the book. The analysis of the data 

 amassed by Darwin, in which it is shown that Darwin's single 

 variations are the same as De Yries's mutations, seems to the 

 reviewer particularly effective. The conception of elementary 

 species seems also one which will be of lasting value, having 

 already shed a flood of light on many problems. 



Probably the time will soon come when nearly all biologists 

 will be ready to admit that mutation, or the sudden appearance 

 of new forms, has been an important factor at least, in species 

 formation in plants and animals. Admitting this, it remains to be 

 discovered what relation these sudden appearances hear to the gen- 



1 DeVries, Hugo, 1909, "The Mutation Theory." Translated by Pro- 

 fessor J. B. Farmer and A. D. Darbishire. Volume I. Six colored plates, 

 fi gs. 119, pp. 5 8 o. Chicago, The Open Court Publishing Co. 



