‘To a large extent the two series of brain-mechanisms, the “instinctive” and the “individually acquired,” are in opposition to one another. Congenital brain-mechanisms may prevent the education of the brain and the development of new mechanisms specially fitted to the special conditions of life. To the educable animal the less there is of specialised mechanism transmitted by heredity, the better. The loss of instinct is what permits and necessitates the education of the receptive brain.’ ‘We are thus led to the view that it is hardly possible for a theory to be further from the truth than that expressed by George H. Lewes and adopted by George Romanes, namely, that instincts are due to “lapsed” intelligence. The fact is that there is no community between the mechanisms of instinct and the mechanisms of intelligence, and that the latter are later in the history of the development of the brain than the former, and can only develop in proportion as the former become feeble and defective.’[17] _Darwinism._--Under the title ‘Darwinism’ it is convenient to designate the various work of biologists tending to establish, develop, or modify Mr. Darwin’s great theory of the origin of species. In looking back over twenty-five years it seems to me that we must say that the conclusions of Darwin as to the origin of species by the survival of selected races in the struggle for existence are more firmly established than ever. And this because there have been many attempts to gravely tamper with essential parts of the fabric as he left it, and even to substitute conceptions for those which he endeavoured to establish, at variance with his conclusions. These attempts must, I think, be considered as having failed. A great deal of valuable work has been done in consequence; for honest criticism, based on observation and experiment, leads to further investigation, and is the legitimate and natural mode of increase of scientific knowledge. Amongst the attempts to seriously modify Darwin’s doctrine may be cited that to assign a great and leading importance to Lamarck’s theory as to the transmission by inheritance of newly ‘acquired’ characters, due chiefly to American palæontologists and to the venerated defender of such views, who has now closed his long life of great work, Mr. Herbert Spencer; that to attribute leading importance to the action of physiological congruity and incongruity in selective breeding, which was put forward by another able writer and naturalist who has now passed from among us, Dr. George Romanes; further, the views of de Vries as to the discontinuity in the origin of new species, supported by the valuable work of Mr. Bateson on discontinuous variation; and lastly, the attempt to assign a great and general importance to the facts ascertained many years ago by the Abbé Mendel as to the cross-breeding of varieties and the frequent production (in regard to certain characters in certain cases) of pure strains rather than