In this e-text a black dotted underline indicates a hyperlink toa page, illustration or footnote (hyperlinks are also highlightedwhen the mouse pointer hovers over them). The text of the book hasbeen preserved as in the original except for correction of sometypographic errors (see below) and a few punctuation inconsistencies.Page numbers are shown in the right margin andfootnotes are at the end. Footnotes arelisted at the end. Some illustrations have been moved nearer tothe relevant text.
Corrected misspellings include the following:
constitutent —> constituent
It —> If
ot —> to
endotheliun —> endothelium
ecomomy —> economy
involutary —> involuntary
old factory —> olfactory
tacile —> tactile
irrevelant —> irrelevant
tranverse —> transverse
decebrate —> decerebrate
Thistleton —> Thiselton
opprobious —> opprobrious
Duputryen's —> Dupuytren's
ditēthēsis —> diēthēsis
The original plain cover has had a title added andis placed in the public domain.
INITIATIVE IN
EVOLUTION
“THE SENSE OF TOUCH IN MAMMALS AND BIRDS,” ETC.
1920
PREFACE.
The Great War imposed on speculative biology a moratorium asin the long vacation of lawyers, in which are causes left over tothe next term. And so the old case Lamarck versus Weismannwas not heard in the Courts of Science during the war. In thepresent term it is due to be heard afresh, and at some future dateto come up for settlement. The chapters that follow comprisesome of the pleadings on behalf of the plaintiff and are part of thebrief of a junior counsel. This adjective, alas! signifies not theyears—for such are often old enough to be the fathers of the leaders—butthe standing and attainments of a junior. But in the openCourt of Science, and on suited occasions, it may be the businessof a junior to question, in the interests of his client, the authorityeven of Attorneys-General and Lords Chief Justice. In mattersof thought and inquiry it is useless to retreat within a strongholdand bar the gates. It may be satisfactory to himself for oneMilner to write a book on behalf of a certain body of doctrine andcall it The End of Controversy, but the book should have held thesub-title The End of Progress. The Newtons, Pasteurs andDarwins have seldom wielded the weapon of controversy, thoughthe triumph of The Origin of Species would have been slowerwithout the aid of Darwin’s brilliant champion and candid friend.But, if the leaders seldom need such help, for the Gibeonite it is amatter of course and simple necessity. With all the urbanitydue to the great subject-matter should this pleasant duty beperformed. Who would not prefer to the fierce Spaniard the genialPortuguese, discussing all subjects without rancour, and lover ofbull-fights though he be, taking care to wrap in cork the horns ofhis fighting bulls?
The earlier chapters treat of the arrangement of the mammalianhair, which has occupied my attention for over twentyyears, and this has led straight to the other subjects, because oftheir bearing on Lamarckism and Initiative