R. H. COMPTON 61 



It was considered desirable to pursue the enquiry further, as 

 statistics on the subject had not been published, and as both Macloskie's 

 statements and my own were based (as now appears) on insufficient 

 data. With this object a timber of Maize cobs of different varieties' 

 were procured, and sowings were made of the seeds from each row 

 separately^. The seedlings were counted for rights and lefts as in 

 previous experiments, and the results are summarised in Table V. 



If we consider the total number of seedlings of Maize from all 

 sources, given in the last line of the table (columns 12 — 1.5), we find 

 that right- and left-handed plants occur in almost exactly equal 

 numbers: the ratio LHjRH for 6189 seedlings being IOCS'*. 



This is a striking difference from what was found in Barley, Oats, 

 etc., where there is always a considerable excess of one kind, LH in 

 Barley, RH in Oats. 



Not only is the ratio for the total number of Maize seedlings very 

 near unity, but the offspring of individual cobs, as recorded in columns 

 12 — 15 of Table V, also show a reasonably close approximation to the 

 same ratio. In some cases it may appear that the ratio diverges from 

 unity so far as to be outside the limits of fluctuating variability : this 

 is the case in cobs I, II, V, VI, X, and XIV. In cobs I and VI this is 

 clearly explicable as the result of the smallness of the numbers of 

 seedlings ; in cob X it appears to be the result of an accidental excess 

 of seedlings from odd rows — an occurrence to be explained below. But 

 in the other three aberrant cobs the ratios may be significant. 



If we now consider the results given by odd and even rows of seeds 

 taken separately (cols. 4 — 11 in Table V) a marked discrepancy from 

 this ratio of equality becomes evident. On the whole, as shown in the 

 last line of the table, the offspring of the odd roivs contain an excess of 

 individuals tuith the first leaf folded in the right-handed direction : the 

 even rows produce a corresponding excess of left-handed seedlings'*. In 

 the case of 2966 seedlings from the odd rows of 16 ears of Maize 



'■ I am much indebted to Mr A. 0. D. Mogg, of Caius College, Cambridge, for kindly 

 naming many of the varieties used. 



- The irregularly arranged seeds from the " butts and tips" of the cobs were discarded. 



5 It should be observed that there was an excess of 85 seedlings from odd over those 

 from even rows ; and that, for reasons to be discussed later, this renders the ratio 1-008 

 slightly too small : after applying the necessary correction the ratio was found to be I'OIO. 



■• A somewhat fanciful comparison may be made with the Cyprinodont fish Anablejis 

 anableps, in which according to S. Garman {Amer. Naturalist, p. 1012, 189.5), the males 

 are 3/5 RH, 2/5 LH ; while the females are 2/5 RH, 3/5 LH : the dimorphism being 

 shown by the external genital organs. 



