398 BUD-VAKIATION. Chap. XL 



course of domestication, they would have varied by buds ; 

 for they resemble plants in many respects. For instance, any 

 new or peculiar character presented by a compound animal is 

 propagated by budding, as occurs with differently coloured 

 Hvdras, and as Mr. Gosse has shown to be the case with a 

 singular variety of a true coral. Varieties of the Hydra 

 have also been grafted on other varieties, and have retained 

 their character. 



I will in the first place give all the cases of bud variations 

 which I have been able to collect, and afterwards show their 

 importance. 1 These cases prove that those authors who, 

 like Pallas, attribute all variability to the crossing either of 

 distinct races, or of distinct individuals belonging to the 

 same race but somewhat different from each other, are in 

 error ; as are those authors who attribute all variability to 

 the mere act of sexual union. Nor can we account in all cases 

 for the appearance* through bud-variation of new characters 

 by the princible of reversion to long-lost characters. He 

 who wishes to judge how far the conditions of life directly 

 cause each particular variation ought to reflect well on the 

 cases immediately to be given. I will commence with bud- 

 variations, as exhibited in the fruit, and then pass on to 

 flowers, and finally to leaves. 



Peach (Amygdalua jpersica). — Tn the last chapter I gave two cases 

 of a peach-almond and a double- flowered almond which suddenly 

 produced fruit closely resembling true peaches. I have also given 

 many cases of peach-trees producing buds, which, when developed 

 into branches, have yielded nectarines. We have seen that no less 

 than six named and several unnamed varieties of the peach have 

 thus produced several varieties of nectarine. I have shown that 

 it is highly improbable that all these p^ach-trees, some of which 

 are old varieties, and have been propagated by the million, are 

 hybrids from the peach and nectarine, and that it is opposed 

 to all analogy to attribute the occasional production of nectarines 



1 Since the publication of the first than mine ; but as these re' ate chiefly 



edition of this work, I have found that to cases occurring in France 1 have 



M. Carriere, Chef des Pe'pinieres a>i left my list as it stood, adding 



Mus. d' Hist. Nat., in his excellent a few facts from M. Carriere and 



Essay, ' Production et Fixation des others. Any one who wishes to 



Varietes, 1865/ has given a list of study the subject fully snould refer 



bud-variations far more extensive to M. Carriere's Essay. 



