Abstract
I HAD no desire to enter into any controversial discussion with Dr. Heslop Harrison (whose letter in NATURE of April 16, p. 562, 1 regret not to have seen earlier), either in regard to his experiments or the conclusions he draws from them; I sought only to obtain some explanation of an alleged new principle in evolution, since anything that deserved such a title would probably be serviceable to me in my studies. I was fully acquainted with the previous paper to which Dr. Harrison refers, as I had particular occasion to consider it at its first appearance. This earlier paper related to the fixing of certain qualities of colour, etc., under chemical influences in food, and I could readily accept it; the second described the fixing of hereditary habits by slight changes of food plants in three generations, and was much less easy of digestion. Yet on the strength of this latter case only (for the former does not touch the real point, and is only connected with the latter by an assumption of a common explanation, a conjectural modification of a wholly supposititious germplasm) Dr. Harrison proceeded to specify a number of actual instances of pairs of allied species, particularly stated to be in Britain, and well known to me, and to suggest that this case explained their origin. If he did not mean that they originated in Britain, why describe their British association? It is no evidence that they are similarly associated in Siberia.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
MEYRICK, E. Phytophagic or Biological Races in Insects. Nature 119, 782 (1927). https://doi.org/10.1038/119782b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/119782b0
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.