1897.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 287 



the pale surfaces, which form normally the lower side of the leaf, 

 faced each other, while the shiny morphological upper surface of 

 the upper blade was turned toward the sky, while in the lower 

 blade this was turned to the earth. The lower blade then, so far as 

 its morphological structure was concerned, was decidedly in a false 

 position, otherwise, at least in its contour, no irregularity was notice- 

 able, except, perhaps, that it was somewhat smaller than the oppo- 

 site normal leaf, Plate V, fig. 7. The upper blade was correct as to 

 its position, but its shape was deformed. It had two apices, the 

 midrib having divided at the point of union of the two blades. 

 Besides it was somewhat larger than the opposite normal leaf. The 

 disturbance which caused this monstrosity was also purely a local 

 one since the rest of the plant was in nowise remarkable. Evidently 

 the growing point was twice induced to divide, first in producing 

 two distinct blades, and again in the division of the midrib of the 

 upper blade. A chaos this appears without law and order, and yet 

 even in chaos there is a reason or cause for everything. It would 

 certainly be worth while to know why the under surfaces of the two 

 blades faced each other in such a way as to appear as mirrored 

 images of one another. 



