Ampliicarpica moiwica. 277 



great is the proportion of water present in this class of seed ; 

 certainly from forty to fifty per cent, of the entire weight 

 is lost in drying. 



The aerial seeds do not contain so much water as the 

 preceding. Seeds of type {a) weighed before drying, .0291 

 grammes; after, .0274 grammes. Specimens of type {b) 

 weighed .061 1 grammes; after drying, .0564 grammes, while 

 those of type (d) weighed .0741 grammes, and afterwards 



.0726 grammes. 



In the "Fertilization of Flowers" (Miiller, Eng. edit., 

 page 214), a reference is made to some of Darwin's results. 

 These were published in a certain edition of 'Different 

 Forms of Flowers in Plants of the Same Species." As a copy 

 of this could not be found, no more exact information can be 

 given. He found the weight of the aerial seeds to be A that 

 of the terrestrial form. There is no statement as to the size 

 of the terrestrial ones— whether small or medium. The 

 figures above will give a much larger fraction. 



Germination. 



Such remarkable differences in size, weight, and struc- 

 ture of seed-coats prepare us for more or less striking pecu- 

 liarities attendant upon germination. When the investiga- 

 tion of Amphkarpaa was begun in the autumn of '94, a 

 quantity of both aerial and terrestrial seeds was collected, 

 and placed in boxes to be used as occasion required. The 

 terrestrial ones became exceedingly hard, almost horny in 

 texture. Both varieties were soaked for twenty-four hours 

 previous to planting. Very few aerial seeds germinated ; 

 and only a few terrestrial ones, which had been placed in 

 pots of earth almost immediately after gathering. Upon 

 investigation it was found that those which had been dried 

 and later soaked, had decayed. The same result was ob- 

 tained each time the experiment was repeated. No germi- 

 nation records were possible during the succeeding winter. 

 In the following autumn, all terrestrial seeds were put 

 in pots of earth, slightly moistened and kept in a cool 



