﻿476 
  Mutations 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  question 
  which 
  arose 
  from 
  the 
  

   above 
  result 
  was 
  this. 
  Could 
  the 
  mutation 
  be 
  

   repeated! 
  Was 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  ascribed 
  to 
  some 
  latent 
  

   cause 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  operative 
  more 
  than 
  

   once? 
  Was 
  there 
  some 
  hidden 
  tendency 
  to 
  muta- 
  

   tion, 
  which, 
  ordinarily 
  weak, 
  was 
  strengthened 
  

   in 
  my 
  cultures 
  by 
  some 
  unknown 
  influence? 
  

   Was 
  the 
  observed 
  mutation 
  to 
  be 
  explained 
  by 
  

   a 
  common 
  cause 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  cases 
  recorded 
  

   by 
  field-observations 
  ? 
  To 
  answer 
  this 
  question 
  

   I 
  had 
  only 
  to 
  continue 
  my 
  experiment, 
  exclud- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  mutated 
  individuals 
  from 
  any 
  inter- 
  

   crossing 
  with 
  their 
  brethren. 
  To 
  this 
  end 
  I 
  

   saved 
  the 
  seeds 
  from 
  duly 
  isolated 
  groups 
  

   in 
  different 
  years 
  and 
  sowed 
  them 
  at 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  times. 
  For 
  various 
  causes 
  I 
  was 
  not 
  

   prepared 
  to 
  have 
  large 
  cultures 
  from 
  these 
  

   seeds, 
  but 
  notwithstanding 
  this, 
  the 
  mutation 
  

   repeated 
  itself. 
  In 
  one 
  instance 
  I 
  obtained 
  

   two, 
  in 
  another, 
  one 
  peloric 
  plant 
  with 
  exclusive- 
  

   ly 
  many-spurred 
  flowers. 
  As 
  is 
  easily 
  under- 
  

   stood, 
  these 
  were 
  related 
  as 
  " 
  nieces 
  ' 
  to 
  the 
  

   first 
  observed 
  mutants. 
  They 
  originated 
  in 
  

   quite 
  the 
  same 
  way, 
  by 
  a 
  sudden 
  leap, 
  without 
  

   any 
  preparation 
  and 
  without 
  any 
  intermediate 
  

   steps. 
  

  

  Mutation 
  is 
  proved 
  by 
  this 
  experience 
  to 
  be 
  

   of 
  an 
  iterative 
  nature. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  expression 
  of 
  

   some 
  concealed 
  condition, 
  or 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  generally 
  

  

  