416 MR. C. DAHWIN ON THE ILIiEGITlAIATE OITSMI^'G 



styled, but were either sliort- or equal-styled, probably the latter. 

 These four plants were kept separate and allowed to fertilize 

 themselves ; from their seed the seventeen plants in the Table 

 were raised, which proved all equal -styled. The stamens stood 

 low down in the corolla as in the long-styled form ; and the 

 stigmas, which were globular and smooth, were either completely 

 surrounded by the anthers or stood close above them. My son, 

 Mr. W. E, Darwin, made magnified drawings for me, by the aid 

 of the camera lucida, of the pollen of one of tlie above equal-styled 

 plants ; and, in accordance with the position of the stamens, the 

 pollen resembled in the small size of the grains that of the long- 

 styled form. My son also examined pollen from two equal-styled 

 plants which he procured at Southampton ; and in both of these 

 the grains diftered extremely in size, a large number being small 

 and shrivelled, whilst many were fully as large as those of the short- 

 styled form and rather more globular. It is possible, or even pro- 

 bable, that the inci*cased size of the grains in tliese plants was due, 

 not to their having assumed the character of the short-styled form, 



but to monstrosity ; for Max Wichura observed pollen-grains of 

 monstrous size in certain liybrids. The vast number of the small 

 and shrivelled grains in the above two cases explains the fact 

 that though equal-styled plants are generally fertile in a high 

 degree, yet some yield few seeds. From the mutual position of 

 the stigma and anthers in the above seventeen plants they could 

 hardly fail to fertilize themselves; and accordingly four of them 

 spontaneously yielded no less than 180 capsules ; ofthese the gar- 

 dener selected eight fine capsules for sowing ; and they included 

 on an average 548 seeds, with a maximum of seventy -two. He 

 gave me thirty other capsules, not selected, of which twenty-seven 

 contained good seeds, averaging 35'5 seeds, with a maximum of 

 seventy ; but if six poor capsules, each Avith less than thirteen 

 seeds, be excluded, the average rises to 42 '5. These are higher 

 numbers than could be expected from either ordinary form when 

 self-fertilized, and accord Avith the view that the male organs be- 

 long to one form, and the female organs partially to the other 

 form ; so that a self-union with the equal-styled variety is in fact 

 a legitimate union. 



Seed Mas saved from the above seventeen self-fertilized equal- 

 styled plants, and produced sixteen plants, which all proved equal- 

 styled, and resembled their parents in all the before-specified 

 respects. The stamens, however, in one plant were seated higher 

 up in the tube of the corolla than in the true long-styled form ; 



