The vast amount of knowledge dealing with Drosophila which has been ac- cumulated in the field of genetics, cytology, and ecology has been critically sorted and arranged in a systematic way in this book.The authors who have dedicated their careers to genetics and the analysis of evolutionary mechanisms present a detailed account of the taxonomy of the genus with an elaborate digest of its ecology and geographical distribution.There are four chapters on the evolutionary effects of genic changes and two chapters on the effects of chromo- somal changes.The chapter dealing with the metaphase patterns includes a discussion on the role of such major factors as fusion, translocation, pericentric inversion and changes of heterochromatin.With the exception of the virilis species group which is fully presented in Chapter 10, the analyses of inversions in wild populations revealed by the salivary gland technique in various species studied can show the prime importance of chromosomal evolution.Tbe material in the virilis chapter can be considered as the best and most beautiful illustra-
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A 1953 study studied this question.