TRANSMISSION OF MODIFICATIONS 169

that moles and many cave-animals have rudimentary
eyes, and so on. But all these results may be readily
interpreted as due to selection of germinal variations.

The best examples of inherited modifications occur,
he says, in mankind. "Thus in the United States
the descendants of the immigrant Irish lose their
Celtic aspect, and become Americanised. . . . To
say that * spontaneous variation' increased by natural
selection can have produced this effect is going too
far." But if the vague statement as to the American-
isation of the Irishman be correct, and if it be true
that intermarriage is rare, it remains probable that
the Americanisation is a modificational veneer im-
pressed afresh on each successive generation.

"That large hands are inherited by those whose
ancestors led laborious lives, and that those descended
from ancestors unused to manual labour commonly
have small hands, are established opinions." But if
we accept the fact, it is easy to interpret the size of
the hands as a stock-character correlated with a
muscularity and vigour, and established by selection.
The prevalence of short-sightedness among the
"notoriously studious" Germans is a singularly
unfortunate instance to give in support of the inherit-
ance of functional modifications, for there is no reason
to believe that short-sightedness is primarily an
acquired character. Nor is it confined to readers.
Spencer twits those who are sceptical as to the
transmission of acquired modifications, for assigning
the most flimsy reasons for rejecting a conclusion
they are averse to; but when Spencer cites the
inheritance of musical talent and a liability to con-
sumption as evidence of the transmission of functionaltely without evidence; worthless as not supplying an