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Notes and Comments. 
science knows no nationalism, that the large body of scientists 
who have gone forth from these shores to Australia, the not less 
loyal sons of Britain who are the hosts of the occasion, can sit 
down with no inconsiderable party of German scientists in 
amicable and courteous discussion while strife reigns rampant 
at home. The eclipse which the meeting suffers in attention 
this year is not the less regrettable because Yorkshire has one 
of her scientific sons in the presidential chair. There have not 
been a great many Yorkshiremen called to that high office, 
though the Association itself was born in our county. It is all 
the more to be regretted since Dr. Bateson, the new president, 
is undertaking a pretty considerable enterprise — namely, to 
depose Darwin from his high position in the regard of biolc gists 
and to set forth a new origin of species. Of course Darwin has 
been assailed before in meetings of the British Association, 
but Dr. Bateson is certain that he has conquered the obstinate 
fortress this time, and reduced Darwinism to its due proportions 
— a triusm where it is true and for the rest very wrong. That 
which Dr. Bateson proposes to establish as the real origin of 
species — a kind of spontaneous variation in jumps, modified 
by cross-breeding — is not likely to secure universal adhesion, 
though it is the etiquette of the British Association not to 
criticise the presidential address. 
BEDROCK. 
In No. i of Vol. 3 of Bedrock (London, Constable & Co., 
2S. 6d. net), there are a number of valuable papers of interest 
to our readers, among which we notice ‘ The Significance of 
the Discovery at Piltdown ’ ; ' Coral Snakes and Mimicry ’ ; 
‘ The Evolution of Mimetic Resemblance ’ ; ‘ Mechanism v. 
Vitalism — Verdict and Judgment ’ ; ‘ Directions of Recent 
Work on the Inheritance of Acquired Characters ’ ; ‘ The 
Milk Problem ’ ; and ‘ The Instruction of School Children in 
Matters of Sex.’ This publication is one of very great interest, 
and we would strongly recommend readers of The Naturalist to 
see it. 
THE MAY LILY. 
Knowledge for August contains two very fine illustrations 
of the May Lily, evidently from the Yorkshire locality. In 
view of the extreme rarity of this plant, and in view of the 
fact that Mr. Horwood of the Leicester Museum professes to 
take such a great interest in the preservation of our wild flowers, 
it is somewhat surprising, and a little annoying, to find that he 
goes to such trouble to give the exact locality for this beautiful 
and rare flower. We trust that should any of the readers of 
the article be successful in finding new localities for this plant, 
they will not follow Mr. Horwood’s example, but keep the 
information quiet. 
Naturalist, 
