192 DUBLIN NATURAL HISTORT SOCIEXr. 



intermediate in character between toothed and entire, I am disposed to 

 believe them, without doubting Mr. Andrews and Dr. Kinahan's evi- 

 dence, so far as it goes — the new evidence is not contradictory, but sup- 

 plementary. 



Pbofessor Kinahan said, that the meeting must congratulate itself 

 on this discussion, since it had been the cause of the Society having been 

 favoured with a written statement of Professor Harvey's views on this 

 interesting question. He much regretted, however, that Professor Har- 

 vey had not been present at the last meeting, as he (Dr. Kinahan) found 

 that the drift and application of the arguments adduced by himself on that 

 occasion had been partially misunderstood by Professor Harvey, and the 

 time already spent this night would prevent his opening them up again. 

 To return to the argument brought forward to-night — the case of the 

 primrose and cowslip appeared to be one in point. He was quite aware 

 that primroses may turn into oxslips, even in a wild state, and might 

 remind Professor Harvey of a specimen presented to him by himself, and 

 which he had gathered in Professor Harvey's company, near Rush, last 

 summer. Any one can, by cultivation, prove the point for himself, as 

 in general two or three years' generous cultivation of the primrose is 

 sufficient to cause it ; but the cowslip he had been always led to doubt* 

 This case, therefore, fell under those in which what he had called their 

 cultivation test applied, and, therefore, was excluded. I^ow, with re- 

 gard to the cauliflower, which Dr. Wright denied was a monstrosity, 

 had Dr. Wright ever tried the experiment ? Dr. Kinahan had seen it 

 tried, and the result had been the production of a very had cabbage, no 

 doubt, but nevertheless a cabbage. There were difficulties in the way 

 of the experiment, for the cauliflower was a cabbage with a much weak- 

 ened constitution, and one severe season might totally destroy the form 

 to which cultivation had reduced it through three or four previous ones; 

 but, nevertheless, under favourable circumstances the experiment may 

 be carried out successfully ; so that the cauliflower, after all, is only a 

 domesticated plant, and, as such, excluded. With regard to the inter- 

 mediate specimen, so triumphantly brought forward, he must be excused 

 if he looked on it with great suspicion. It had been identified only by 

 parties having a theory to support ; and, without meaning or intending 

 any disrespect to them, or doubt of their botanical skill — the latter of 

 which would be preposterous — he must look on their reading of the spe- 

 cimen as a prejudiced judgment. The locality in which it had occurred 

 strengthened him in this opinion ; not in Great Britain, nor even Europe, 

 neither in Asia, Africa, nor America, but at the very Antipodes, in the 

 wilds of Australia it appeared that we must seek for the real proof of 

 the distinctness or unity of the forms. Dr. Kinahan strongly suspected 

 that, to use the words of one of the most philosophical biologists of the 

 present age, in this case an error had been committed, and similarity mis- 

 taken for identity, and two representative forms confounded. 



• Kxperitncnts subsequent to the above remarks prove to me that it does occur. — 

 J. R. K. 



