NOTES AND LITERATURE. 



GENERAL BIOLOGY. 



Morgan's "Regeneration." 1 — Students of experimental morphol- 

 ogy have been done a real service by the author of this book. He has 

 brought together and classified in an orderly way practically all that 

 is known about the subject of regeneration in animals. A not incon- 

 siderable part of this knowledge has been contributed by Professor 

 Morgan himself or by his pupils. The author is hostile to "the 

 hypothesis of preformed nuclear germs" and to "the theory of 

 natural selection as applied to regeneration," but shows no spirit 

 of unfairness. His work is both careful and comprehensive. It 

 includes chapters on the early and justly famous experiments made 

 by Trembly, Bonnet, and Spallanzani ; on the external factors of 

 regeneration ; on the internal factors of regeneration ; on regenera- 

 tion in plants ; on regeneration and liability to injury ; on self-division, 

 budding, etc. ; on animal grafting; on relation to regeneration of the 

 " germ-layer theory " and " the law of biogenesis " ; on regeneration 

 in egg and embryo ; theories of development ; theories of regenera- 

 tion ; etc. It is a work both of merit and of permanent value, well 

 worthy of a place in the excellent series of biological books in which 

 it is published. W. E. C. 



Inheritance of Acquired Characters. — One of the most interesting 

 additions to the series Scientia is Costantin's 2 " L'he'redite acquise." 

 In a very brief space the author gives a readable account of Weis- 

 mann's germ plasm theory and of the changes that it has undergone. 

 Then follow chapters on heredity in asexual reproduction, on artificial 

 Section, and on certain objections to the influence of the environment. 

 The very interesting subject of hereditary diseases is well treated, and 

 the little volume ends with a chapter on germinal selection. While 

 in no sense an original contribution to the subject, the book forms an 

 excellent introduction for the beginner or even the layman. 



I Morgan, T. H. Regeneration. Columbia University Biological Series, vol. vii. 

 New York, Macmillan, 1902. 8vo, xii + 3 16 PP" 66 fi 8 s ' _ . _ , 



; ( l)st;i „.i, T. I.'heredite acquise, SaenHa, Biologie, No. 12. Pans, Carre 



