1906] 



Curious Natural Freak. 



81 



seems still almost incredible that a body of the above given small- 

 ness can produce an egg- of even this size. This owl, now in 

 my collection, measures mounted, with the neck sofriewhal 

 shortened, 25 inches in length. 



CURIOUS NATURAL FREAK. 



In the garden of Mr. Cowley on View street, in this city, 

 is to be seen a laburnum tree producing three distinct varieties 

 of flowers, viz : yellow and pink laburnum flowers and mauve- 

 colored spikes of brocm-like flowers. Mr. Cowley made the 

 following statements regarding the tree : About eighteen years 

 ago he bought the plant from the late Mr. Henry Mitchell as a 

 pink laburnum a sport from the ordinary yellow laburnum. It 

 proved true to its name, and produced pink flcwers for a num- 

 ber of years. The tree grew quite large, and then Mr. Cowley 

 cut it back when, to his astonishment, it produced a thick 

 broom-like growth, resembling bunches of mistletoe, which pro- 

 duced spikes of rose or mauve-colored flowers, resembling 

 broom, different in every respect from the original laburnum 

 blossoms. Two years ago the tree showed a disposition to 

 hark back to its original fcrm, as it produced a spike of yellow 

 flowers ; last year more appeared, and at the present time the 

 tree presents the curious appearance of producing pink and yel- 

 low laburnum flowers, and spikes of the broom flowers describ- 

 ed. 



Mr. C. N. Young, of Duncans, on hearing of the curious 

 freak, wrote as follows: "I have known a similar case. On the 

 lawn of the rectory at Quainton, near Aylesbury, a large laburnum 

 tree, forked at eight feet from the ground, one half bore yellow, 

 the ether pink flowers ; while from the fork grew a bunch of 

 citisus bearing purple flowers. 



"The late Professor Lindley, then editor of the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle, expressed it as his opinion that the original tree was 

 produced by crossing the yellow laburnum with the purple citisus, 

 and that the tree had combined the peculiarities of both parents 

 and offspring. " 



I send specimens of the flowers for inspection by the curi- 

 ous. 



J. R. ANDERSON. 

 Victoria, B. C, 



1 st June, 1906. 



