Tramiformation of JEgilops into Jflicat. lOD 



thumb above ; then, pressing with the cushion of the middle 

 linger upon the base of the spike in such a way as to impiess 

 a slight see-sawing motion, which allows at the same time of 

 fixing the spike firmly between this finger and the index finger. 

 By this movement the external glumella is curved a good deal 

 outwards, the flower is widely opened, and the reproductive 

 organs can be easily distinguished. I must give warning that 

 the outer glumella sometimes carries off the inner glumella in its 

 movement : but as this latter is simply membranous, and projects 

 above the external one, nothing is easier than to separate it. 

 I then proceed to remove the stamens, extracting them one by 

 one by seizing the filaments with a fine pair of forceps. For 

 these organs is immediately substituted an anther of wheat, 

 selected from those beginning to open, and this is placed trans- 

 versely above the stigmas. The envelopes of the flower are 

 then gently pi'essed together again. The wheat anther then 

 discharges its pollen ; moreover, its presence forms an obstruc- 

 tion to the access of the proper pollen of jrEgilops to the stigmas 

 of the flowers subjected to mutilation, which ensures the success 

 of the operation. 



I proceeded in this way v/ith four spikes of j^gilops ovata^ 

 and I tried the fertilization upon two flowers of each of them 

 with the pollen of Triticum vidgare muticuui. I obtained from 

 these four spikes, planted entire and at a distance from one 

 another, a certain number of plants of yi^r/ilops ovata and nine 

 specimens of yEgilops trificoides, which only differed from those 

 gathered at Agde by M. Fabre by their taller stature (the summer 

 was wet) and their looser and completely green spike. But the 

 variety of wheat which I used for the fertilization is distinguished 

 from TouzeUe wheat by precisely these last two characters. 

 I operated on the same day, and in the same manner, upou 

 two spikes of yEgilops triaristata ; and upon two flowers of each 

 of these spikes I replaced the proper anthers by anthers of 

 Triticum durum harbatum. One of the spikes reproduced 

 u."Egilops triaristata exclusively ; the other afforded me three 

 specimens of a hybrid remarkable for its long beards, and which, 

 so far as I know, has never been observed before. 



Third Experiment. — On the 25th of May. 1853, I completely 

 removed the anthers from four spikes of yEgilops ovata, removing 

 the upper spikelet, which contains only male flowers. I placed 

 in each previously perfect flower an anther of Triticum spelta 

 harbatum beginning to open. I obtained two stems of a new 

 hybrid, and not a single representative of the parent plant. 



From all these facts we may draw the following conclu- 

 sions : — 



1. Hybridity may occur spontaneously among the grasses, and 



