﻿640 
  Mutations 
  

  

  Poppies 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  to 
  bear 
  bracts 
  

   analogous 
  to 
  the 
  little 
  scales 
  on 
  the 
  flower-stalks 
  

   of 
  the 
  pansies, 
  on 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  their 
  flower- 
  

   stalks. 
  A 
  similar 
  case 
  is 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  yellow 
  

   foxglove 
  or 
  Digitalis 
  parviflora. 
  The 
  foxgloves 
  

   as 
  a 
  rule 
  have 
  naked 
  flower-stalks, 
  without 
  the 
  

   two 
  little 
  opposite 
  leafy 
  organs 
  seen 
  in 
  so 
  many 
  

   other 
  instances. 
  The 
  yellow 
  species, 
  however, 
  

   has 
  been 
  seen 
  to 
  produce 
  such 
  scales 
  from 
  time 
  

   to 
  time. 
  The 
  honeysuckle 
  genus 
  is, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  

   devoid 
  of 
  the 
  stipules 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  petiole, 
  

   but 
  Lonicera 
  etrusca 
  has 
  been 
  observed 
  to 
  

   develop 
  such 
  organs, 
  which 
  were 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  free 
  

   in 
  some, 
  but 
  in 
  other 
  specimens 
  were 
  adnate 
  

   to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  leaf, 
  and 
  even 
  connate 
  with 
  

   those 
  of 
  the 
  opposite 
  leaf. 
  

  

  Other 
  instances 
  could 
  be 
  given 
  proving 
  that 
  

   bracts 
  and 
  stipules, 
  when 
  systematically 
  lack- 
  

   ing, 
  are 
  liable 
  to 
  reappear 
  as 
  anomalies. 
  In 
  

   doing 
  so, 
  they 
  generally 
  assume 
  the 
  peculiar 
  

   characters 
  that 
  would 
  be 
  expected 
  of 
  them 
  by 
  

   comparison 
  with 
  allied 
  genera 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  

   of 
  normal 
  occurrence. 
  There 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  doubt 
  

   that 
  their 
  absence 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  an 
  apparent 
  loss, 
  

   resulting 
  from 
  the 
  reduction 
  of 
  a 
  formerly 
  

   active 
  quality 
  to 
  inactivity. 
  Resuming 
  this 
  ef- 
  

   fective 
  state, 
  the 
  case 
  attains 
  the 
  value 
  and 
  sig- 
  

   nificance 
  accorded 
  to 
  svstematic 
  atavism. 
  

  

  V 
  

  

  A 
  very 
  curious 
  instance 
  of 
  reduced 
  bracts, 
  de- 
  

  

  