﻿550 
  Mutations 
  

  

  They 
  came 
  into 
  existence 
  at 
  once, 
  fully 
  equipped, 
  

   without 
  preparation 
  or 
  intermediate 
  steps. 
  No 
  

   series 
  of 
  generations, 
  no 
  selection, 
  no 
  struggle 
  

   for 
  existence 
  was 
  needed. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  sudden 
  leap 
  

   into 
  another 
  type, 
  a 
  sport 
  in 
  the 
  best 
  acceptation 
  

   of 
  the 
  word. 
  It 
  fulfilled 
  my 
  hopes, 
  and 
  at 
  once 
  

   gave 
  proof 
  of 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  the 
  direct 
  obser- 
  

   vation 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  species, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   perimental 
  control 
  thereof. 
  

  

  The 
  third 
  generation 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  main 
  a 
  repeti- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  second. 
  I 
  tried 
  some 
  10000 
  seed- 
  

   lings 
  and 
  found 
  three 
  lata 
  and 
  three 
  nanella, 
  or 
  

   nearly 
  the 
  same 
  proportion 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  in- 
  

   stance. 
  But 
  besides 
  these 
  a 
  rubrinervis 
  made 
  

   its 
  appearance 
  and 
  flowered 
  the 
  following 
  year. 
  

   This 
  fact 
  at 
  once 
  revealed 
  the 
  possibility 
  that 
  the 
  

   instability 
  of 
  lamarckiana 
  might 
  not 
  be 
  re- 
  

   stricted 
  to 
  the 
  three 
  new 
  types 
  now 
  under 
  obser- 
  

   vation. 
  Hence 
  the 
  question 
  arose 
  how 
  it 
  would 
  

   be 
  possible 
  to 
  obtain 
  other 
  types 
  or 
  to 
  find 
  them 
  

   if 
  they 
  were 
  present. 
  It 
  was 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   have 
  better 
  methods 
  of 
  cultivation 
  and 
  examina- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  plants. 
  Accordingly 
  I 
  de- 
  

   voted 
  the 
  three 
  succeeding 
  years 
  to 
  working 
  on 
  

   this 
  problem. 
  

  

  I 
  found 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   sow 
  any 
  larger 
  quantities 
  of 
  seed, 
  but 
  that 
  the 
  

   young 
  plants 
  must 
  have 
  room 
  enough 
  to 
  develop 
  

   into 
  full 
  and 
  free 
  rosettes. 
  Moreover 
  I 
  ob- 
  

  

  