The Inheritance of Acquired Characters

Abstract

IN his very friendly notice of my little book, Prof. Meldola has invited readers of NATURE to furnish an explanation of the source of a very “pregnant” passage—the only one dealing with the subject in question—in the “Origin of Species.” Sir W. T. Thiselton-Dyer has clearly shown that the problem must certainly have been in Darwin's mind at least four years before the writing of the “Origin,” when he was absorbed in the reading of the great work of Alph. de Candolle, and afterwards while writing the “Variations of Animals and Plants.”