68 CHARACTERS OF BRITISH PLANTS. 
` Hypericum dubium (Leers) and H. maculatum (Crantz.) I 
cannot see the differences which are found by Mr. Babington 
between the plants of Arran (H. dubium) and those of other 
localities (H. maculatum). Most of my British specimens 
have characters intermediate between those given for the two 
alleged species. The sepals of other species of Hypericum 
vary much. I have repeatedly seen late flowers of H. per- 
foratum with broad and obtuse (sometimes almost foliaceous) 
sepals, though the persistent sepals of the earlier flowers 
were narrow and acute, as usual with that species. 
Lotus corniculatus (Linn.) and L. major (Scop).—1 cannot 
shew sufficient reasons for uniting these alleged species; but 
may state that one character used for distinction is certainly fal- 
lacious; namely, that founded on the position of the beak of 
the pod, which is seid to spring from the *upper suture of 
the pod” in L. major, and from the “ middle of the end of the 
pod" in L. corniculatus. As a question of structural anatomy, 
I apprehend the beak to be a continuation of both sutures, 
though possibly connected more with the upper (stronger) 
suture. The apparent position is hardly more than a condi- 
tion of age; though if any difference can be found, it is in 
the pod of L. corniculatus that the beak is more completely a 
continuation of the upper suture. In the very young pod of 
this species, the beak is rather nearer the lower suture. After- 
wards it appears at “the middle of the end of the pod," between 
the two sutures. A sinus or contraction is then formed at 
the base of the beak, on the side towards the lower suture. 
This sinus increases with the growth of the pod, until the 
beak at length seems a direct continuation from the upper 
suture, more or less bent towards the lower suture. 
Lotus angustissimus (Linn.) and L. hispidus (Desf.) —Seeds 
of the former, sown in my garden, produced only the same 
form; while seeds of the latter produced both forms. The 
seeds were brought from the Azores ; but it is possible that 
some accidental intermixture occurred, as they were not col- 
lected with the intention of trying the experiment. By L. 
hispidus I understand the form with short pods; the refer- 
