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  Ever-sporting 
  Varieties 
  

  

  with 
  all 
  their 
  intermediate 
  links 
  of 
  narrower 
  

   and 
  broader, 
  fewer 
  and 
  more 
  numerous 
  streaks. 
  

   But 
  on 
  a 
  close 
  inspection 
  one 
  does 
  not 
  succeed 
  

   in 
  finding 
  pure 
  yellow 
  racemes. 
  Little 
  lines 
  of 
  

   red 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  nearly 
  every 
  flower. 
  They 
  

   are 
  the 
  extreme 
  type 
  on 
  this 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  

   of 
  variability. 
  From 
  them 
  an 
  almost 
  endless 
  

   range 
  of 
  patterns 
  passes 
  over 
  to 
  the 
  broadest 
  

   stripes 
  and 
  even 
  to 
  whole 
  sections 
  of 
  a 
  pure 
  red. 
  

   But 
  then, 
  between 
  these 
  and 
  the 
  wholly 
  red 
  

   flowers 
  we 
  observe 
  a 
  gap, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  narrow- 
  

   er 
  by 
  the 
  choice 
  of 
  numerous 
  broad 
  striped 
  in- 
  

   dividuals, 
  but 
  which 
  is 
  never 
  wholly 
  filled 
  up. 
  

   Hence 
  we 
  see 
  that 
  the 
  red 
  flowers 
  are 
  a 
  separate 
  

   type 
  within 
  the 
  striped 
  variety. 
  

  

  This 
  red 
  type 
  springs 
  yearly 
  from 
  the 
  striped 
  

   form, 
  and 
  yearly 
  reverts 
  to 
  it. 
  This 
  is 
  what 
  in 
  

   the 
  usual 
  descriptions 
  of 
  this 
  snapdragon, 
  is 
  

   called 
  its 
  sporting. 
  The 
  breadth 
  of 
  the 
  streaks 
  

   is 
  considered 
  to 
  be 
  an 
  ordinary 
  case 
  of 
  varia- 
  

   bility, 
  but 
  the 
  red 
  flowers 
  appear 
  suddenly, 
  with- 
  

   out 
  the 
  expected 
  links. 
  Therefore 
  they 
  are 
  to 
  

   be 
  considered 
  as 
  sports. 
  Similarly 
  the 
  red 
  

   forms 
  may 
  suddenly 
  produce 
  striped 
  ones, 
  and 
  

   this 
  too 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  a 
  sport, 
  according 
  to 
  

   the 
  usual 
  conception 
  of 
  the 
  word. 
  

  

  Such 
  sports 
  may 
  occur 
  in 
  different 
  ways. 
  

   Either 
  by 
  seeds, 
  or 
  by 
  buds, 
  or 
  even 
  within 
  

   the 
  single 
  spikes. 
  Both 
  opposite 
  reversions, 
  

  

  