﻿New 
  Species 
  of 
  Oenothera 
  519 
  

  

  others 
  have 
  formerly 
  mutated 
  in 
  this 
  way, 
  oth- 
  

   er 
  species 
  must 
  at 
  present 
  be 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   changeable 
  condition. 
  And 
  if 
  mutations 
  in 
  

   groups, 
  or 
  such 
  periodic 
  mutations 
  should 
  be 
  

   the 
  rule, 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  premised 
  that 
  these 
  periods 
  

   recur 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  and 
  that 
  many 
  species 
  

   must 
  even 
  now 
  be 
  in 
  mutating 
  condition, 
  while 
  

   others 
  are 
  not. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  readily 
  granted 
  that 
  the 
  constant 
  condi- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  species 
  is 
  the 
  normal 
  one, 
  and 
  that 
  mu- 
  

   tating 
  periods 
  must 
  be 
  the 
  exception. 
  This 
  fact 
  

   does 
  not 
  tend 
  to 
  increase 
  our 
  prospect 
  of 
  dis- 
  

   covering 
  a 
  species 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  mutability. 
  

   Many 
  species 
  will 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  tested 
  before 
  find- 
  

   ing 
  an 
  instance. 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  a 
  direct 
  trial 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  only 
  way 
  to 
  reach 
  the 
  goal. 
  No 
  

   such 
  special 
  guides 
  as 
  those 
  that 
  led 
  us 
  to 
  the 
  

   choice 
  of 
  pelories 
  and 
  double 
  flowers 
  are 
  avail- 
  

   able. 
  The 
  only 
  indication 
  of 
  value 
  is 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   sumption 
  that 
  a 
  condition 
  of 
  mutability 
  might 
  

   be 
  combined 
  with 
  a 
  general 
  state 
  of 
  variability 
  

   at 
  large, 
  and 
  that 
  groups 
  of 
  plants 
  of 
  very 
  uni- 
  

   form 
  features 
  might 
  be 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  constant 
  

   in 
  this 
  respect 
  too. 
  On 
  the 
  contrary, 
  anomalies 
  

   and 
  deviations 
  if 
  existent 
  in 
  the 
  members 
  of 
  

   one 
  strain, 
  or 
  found 
  together 
  in 
  one 
  native 
  lo- 
  

   cality 
  of 
  a 
  species, 
  might 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  an 
  

   indication 
  in 
  the 
  desired 
  direction. 
  

  

  Few 
  plants 
  vary 
  in 
  the 
  wild 
  state 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  

  

  