﻿Systematic 
  Atavism 
  635 
  

  

  some 
  years 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  atavistic 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  in 
  some 
  rare 
  individuals. 
  More 
  than 
  

   once 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  such 
  cases 
  myself, 
  and 
  

   found 
  that 
  the 
  variation 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  partial 
  one, 
  

   producing 
  one 
  or 
  rarely 
  two 
  umbels 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  

   plant, 
  and 
  liable 
  to 
  fail 
  of 
  repetition 
  when 
  the 
  

   varying 
  specimens 
  are 
  transplanted 
  into 
  the 
  

   garden 
  for 
  further 
  observation. 
  But 
  the 
  fact 
  

   remains 
  that 
  scapes 
  occur. 
  The 
  scapes 
  them- 
  

   selves 
  are 
  of 
  varying 
  length, 
  often 
  very 
  short, 
  

   and 
  seldom 
  long, 
  and 
  their 
  umbels 
  display 
  the 
  

   involucre 
  of 
  bracts 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  quite 
  analogous 
  

   to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Primula 
  officinalis 
  and 
  P. 
  elatior. 
  

   To 
  my 
  mind 
  this 
  curious 
  anomaly 
  strongly 
  sup- 
  

   ports 
  the 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  latent 
  condition 
  of 
  the 
  

   scape 
  in 
  the 
  acaulescent 
  species, 
  and 
  that 
  such 
  a 
  

   dormant 
  character 
  must 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  a 
  descent 
  

   from 
  ancestors 
  with 
  active 
  scapes, 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  in 
  

   no 
  need 
  of 
  further 
  reiteration. 
  Returning 
  to 
  

   activity 
  the 
  scapes 
  at 
  once 
  show 
  a 
  full 
  develop- 
  

   ment, 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  inferior 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  allied 
  

   forms, 
  and 
  only 
  unstable 
  in 
  respect 
  to 
  their 
  

   length. 
  

  

  A 
  second 
  example 
  is 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  bracts 
  

   of 
  the 
  crucifers. 
  This 
  group 
  is 
  easily 
  distin- 
  

   guished 
  by 
  its 
  cruciform 
  petals 
  and 
  the 
  group- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  flowers 
  into 
  long 
  racemes. 
  In 
  other 
  

   families 
  each 
  flower 
  of 
  such 
  an 
  inflorescence 
  

   would 
  be 
  subtended 
  by 
  a 
  bract, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  