THE SEQUOIA 



Among the earlier champions of Darwin's theory, were Lyell, 

 Tyndall, Hooker and Spencer. 



More recently the philosophy of zoology has centered around 

 the question of the inheritance of characters acquired during 

 the life of the organism, and biologists at present arc divided into 

 two schools; one, nominally led by Herbert Spencer, contend 



that such characters arc inherited; the Other, of which August 



Weismann is the head, deny the inheritance of acquired charac- 

 ters and affirm that "natural selection," acting on congenita] 

 iations, is sufficient to produce the diverse organic forms. 



Since Darwin's time the growth of biology has been phenom- 

 enal. This is due to the enthusiasm of the great number of in- 

 in every branch of science, and to the application of 

 modern inventions in methods of research. Governments, as well 

 as private individuals, have contributed generously t<» aid the 

 w«>rk. Expeditions for exploring the depths of the sea and the 

 remotest parts of the world have been organized and successfully 

 carried out. 



A. R. Wallace in 1876 published his "Distribution of Ani- 

 mals," which was the first complete treatise on ZOO-geography, 

 one of the pillars of evolution. 



The "Challenger" expedition ^ 1 cS 7 2 [876), sent out by Eng- 

 land, obtained more than 8000 species new t<> science. 



The United States Fish Commission, established by the I 

 ernment. through the energy of Professor S. F. Baird, as well as 

 the National Museum and the Geological Survey, have made 

 valuable contributions to scier. 



Among the seashore laboratories, that founded at Nap*. 



1870. by Professor Dohrn, is most fam 



Palaeontology too has had a rapid growth in this 



•try dis I and described more than a thousand new 



many of which an Jlibition in the 



Hall In invertebrate palaeontology 



Hall wa 'id a la: -rti< »n « »f tin- n. 



rial Upon which he did his monumental w< >rk is displayed in the 

 d Hall. 



lutioni: the 



