412 MR. C. D;i.TlWTN ON THE TLLKGITIMATE OEFSPRINa 



or centre conspicuous. Altogetlier these flowers, in comparison 

 with those of their progenitors, presented a striking difference, 

 which can, I think, be accounted for only on the principle of re- 

 version. One of these grandchildren had most of its anthers 

 contabescent. Seventeen of the flowers were illegitimately ferti- 

 lized by pollen taken from seedlings of the same lot, and produced 

 fourteen capsules, containing on an average 29*2 seeds; they ought 

 to have contained about thirty-five seeds, Fifteen flowers legiti- 

 mately fertilized by pollen from an illegitimate short- styled plant 

 (belonging to the lot next to be described) produced fourteen cap- 

 sules, containing an average of forty-six seeds ; they ought to have 

 contained at least fifty seeds. Hence these grandchildren of illegi- 

 timate descent appear to have lost, though only in a very sliglit 

 degree, their full fertility. 



From a short-styled form of P. sinensis^ fertilized by its own- 

 form pollen, I raised, during February 1862, eight seedlings, seven 

 of which were short-styled and one long-st}'led. These plants 

 grew slowly, and never attained to the full stature of ordinary 

 plants ; some of them flowered precociously, and others late in the 

 season. Four flowers on the short-styled plants and four on the 

 long-styled plant were illegitimately fertilized with their own-form 

 pollen and produced only three capsules, containing on an average 

 23'6 seeds, with a maximum of twenty-nine ; but we cannot judge 

 of their fertility from so few capsules ; and I have greater doubts 

 about the normal standard for this union than about the standard 

 for the three other unions ; but I believe that rather above 

 twenty-five seeds would be a fair estimate. Eight flowers on the 

 short-styled and long-styled illegitimate plants were reciprocally 

 and legitimately crossed ; they produced five capsules which con- 

 tained an average of 28'6 seeds, with a maximum of thirty-six. A 

 reciprocal cross between legitimate plants of the two forms would 

 have yielded an average of at least fifty-seven -seeds, with a possible 

 maximum of seventy-four seeds; so that these illegitimate plants 

 are sterile when legitimately crossed. 



I succeeded in raising from the seven short-styled illegitimate 

 plants, fertilized by their own-form pollen, only six plants — grand- 

 children of the first union. These, like their parents, were of low 

 stature, and had so poor a constitution that four died before 

 flowering. With ordinary plants it has been a rare event with 

 me to have more than a single plant die out of a large lot. The 

 two grandchildren which lived and flowered were short-styled ; and 

 twelve of their flowers were fertilized with their own-form pollen 



