﻿Taxonomic 
  Anomalies 
  677 
  

  

  cases 
  already 
  alluded 
  to. 
  But 
  this 
  of 
  course 
  

   makes 
  no 
  real 
  difference. 
  The 
  character 
  is 
  

   variable 
  to 
  a 
  high 
  degree, 
  and 
  this 
  fact 
  indicates 
  

   its 
  varietal 
  nature, 
  though 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  recalled 
  

   that 
  at 
  least 
  with 
  the 
  Helwingia, 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  

   the 
  leaves 
  are 
  destitute 
  of 
  flowers, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  

   this 
  way 
  some 
  degree 
  of 
  variability 
  is 
  present 
  

   in 
  this 
  normal 
  case 
  too. 
  

  

  All 
  in 
  all 
  there 
  are 
  three 
  sorts 
  of 
  " 
  Nepaul- 
  

   barley.' 
  They 
  have 
  the 
  same 
  varietal 
  mark, 
  

   but 
  belong 
  to 
  different 
  species 
  of 
  barley. 
  These 
  

   are 
  differentiated 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  

   the 
  rows 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  grains 
  are 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  

   spikes. 
  These 
  numbers 
  may 
  be 
  two, 
  four 
  or 
  six, 
  

   giving 
  rise 
  to 
  the 
  specific 
  names 
  of 
  Hordeum 
  dis- 
  

   tichum, 
  tetrasticlium 
  and 
  hexastichum. 
  Whether 
  

   these 
  three 
  varieties 
  are 
  of 
  independent, 
  but 
  

   parallel 
  origin, 
  or 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  due 
  to 
  

   a 
  single 
  mutation 
  and 
  subsequent 
  crosses 
  is 
  not 
  

   known, 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  being 
  of 
  ancient 
  origin. 
  

   Historic 
  evidence 
  concerning 
  their 
  birth 
  is 
  

   wholly 
  wanting. 
  From 
  analogy 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  

   probable 
  that 
  the 
  character 
  had 
  arisen 
  by 
  a 
  mu- 
  

   tation 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  three 
  named 
  species, 
  and 
  

   had 
  been 
  transferred 
  to 
  others 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  ac- 
  

   cidental 
  crosses, 
  even 
  as 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  artificially 
  

   transmitted 
  of 
  late 
  to 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  

   sorts. 
  But 
  however 
  admissible 
  this 
  conception 
  

   may 
  seem, 
  there 
  is 
  of 
  course 
  no 
  real 
  objection 
  

  

  