$2 The Ohio Naturalist. [Vol. VII, No. 2, 



must conclude that new species are produced sideways by other 

 forms, and that this change affects only the produced and not 

 the producer". The Verbena mutant is an example exactly to 

 the point. But in using the term "mutant," I do not wish to 

 be understood as necessarily accepting de Vries' notions of the 

 hereditary apparatus wihch produces mutants. 



The color of this mutant is probably a unit character with 

 Mendelian dominance or recessiveness and for this reason the 

 new race remains pure though growing together with the old. 

 If the character is not Mendelian there must be some physiolog- 

 ical peculiarity which prevents cross-fertilization as cross- 

 pollination must certainly take place. Many generations must 

 have preceded the present progeny and a considerable number of 

 years must have passed since the origin of the first mutant. 



This mutant is not of hybrid origin. Hybrids between cer- 

 tain species of Verbena are common but are easily recognized 

 from morphological characters. No hybrids were found in the 

 locality. A careful search was made in all directions from the 

 mutant section but no other individuals were found except the 

 one individual noted above. This could easily have been 

 transported from the original locality. Whether the same 

 mutation has occurred at other times or in other localities, I 

 have at present no means of knowing. But it is not unlikely 

 that it has appeared in other places also. 



Some have claimed that mutations have been observed 

 mostly among domestic forms. This is true, because these are 

 far more accessible for ordinary observation than wild species. 

 But with proper investigation mutants may turn out to be as 

 abundant in the field as in the garden. One must Hve in the 

 field and be thoroughly familiar with the plants of the locality 

 before he is likely to notice even the more striking mutations, 

 should he be so fortunate as to pass by their isolated habitat. 



DeVries' Oenothera lamarckiana was introduced into Europe 

 from America. The species had thus undergone a great change 

 of environment and objections have been made to some con- 

 clusions based on the mutants of this species, yet it seems to 

 me without reason. I have myself observed types of Oenothera 

 biennis in Kansas which agreed with no descriptions given in the 

 manuals. Moreover, the question as to what conditions are 

 favorable to or cause mutation is not directly involved in the 

 question of the fact of mutation. We have in nature most of 

 the peculiarities of environment which we can produce arti- 

 ficially and primarily it makes no difference as to the fact of 

 evolution by mutation whether the elementary species arises on 

 a virgin prairie from an indigenous species like the Verbena 

 stricta mutant, or from an exotic plant cultivated in a highly 

 artificial garden. Many of the most important principles and 



