Abstract
THE facts contained in Mr. Tabor's letter, however interesting, supply no evidence for or against Lamarckism. When at Whitstable, the individual French oyster has certain characters impressed upon it by its environment. The next generation, when compared with the natives, show certain peculiarities, such as greater thickness of shell and greater growing power. But this also we are able to interpret as the reponse of the individual to the environment. If the peculiarities appear in many successive generations, the same explanation will account for the facts. If, however, Lamarckians could show that the effect of the environment, as the generations succeed one another, is cumulative, that the characters in question become progressively accentuated, then they would prove their case. But it does not appear that they have any such evidence at their command.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
HEADLEY, F. Foreign Oysters Acquiring Characters of Natives. Nature 64, 158 (1901). https://doi.org/10.1038/064158c0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/064158c0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.