﻿Taxonomic 
  Anomalies 
  659 
  

  

  with 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  sudden 
  mutations. 
  Together 
  

   these 
  two 
  conceptions 
  go 
  to 
  strengthen 
  the 
  prob- 
  

   ability 
  of 
  the 
  sudden 
  origin 
  of 
  all 
  specific 
  char- 
  

   acters. 
  

  

  Experimental 
  researches 
  are 
  limited 
  in 
  their 
  

   extent, 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  cases 
  of 
  direct 
  obser- 
  

   vation 
  of 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  mutation 
  will 
  probably 
  

   never 
  become 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  whole 
  

   field 
  of 
  the 
  theory 
  of 
  descent. 
  Therefore 
  it 
  will 
  

   always 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  similarity 
  

   between 
  observed 
  and 
  other 
  cases 
  is 
  such 
  as 
  to 
  

   lift 
  above 
  all 
  doubt 
  the 
  assertion 
  of 
  their 
  result- 
  

   ing 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  causes. 
  

  

  Besides 
  the 
  direct 
  comparison 
  of 
  the 
  muta- 
  

   tions 
  described 
  in 
  our 
  former 
  lectures, 
  with 
  the 
  

   analogous 
  cases 
  of 
  the 
  horticultural 
  and 
  natural 
  

   production 
  of 
  species 
  and 
  varieties 
  at 
  large, 
  an- 
  

   other 
  way 
  is 
  open 
  to 
  obtain 
  the 
  required 
  proof. 
  

   It 
  is 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  phenomena, 
  designated 
  by 
  

   Casimir 
  de 
  Candolle 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  taxo- 
  

   nomic 
  anomalies. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  assertion 
  that 
  char- 
  

   acters, 
  which 
  are 
  specific 
  in 
  one 
  case, 
  may 
  be 
  

   observed 
  to 
  arise 
  as 
  anomalies 
  or 
  as 
  varieties 
  in 
  

   other 
  instances. 
  If 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  

   identical 
  or 
  nearly 
  so 
  in 
  both, 
  it 
  is 
  obviously 
  

   allowable 
  to 
  assume 
  the 
  same 
  origin 
  for 
  the 
  

   specific 
  character 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  anomaly. 
  In 
  

   other 
  terms, 
  the 
  specific 
  marks 
  may 
  be 
  consid- 
  

   ered 
  as 
  having 
  originated 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  laws 
  

  

  