INFLUENCE OF THE PARENTS ON COLOUR OF THE HYBRID 215 
intermediate character between the two parents, always closely resemble 
one of them.’ In one of his books Darwin writes, ‘‘ Mr. Paul informs 
me that he fertilised the ‘Black Prince’ hollyhock with pollen of the 
‘White Globe,’ the ‘Lemonade,’ and the ‘Black Prince’ hollyhocks 
reciprocally, but not one seedling of these three crosses inherited the black 
colour of the ‘ Black Prince.’ . . . Mr. Laxton writes, whenever a cross 
has been effected between a white-blossomed and a purple-blossomed pea 
. the offspring seem to lose nearly all the characteristics of the white- 
flowered . . . varieties; and this result follows, whether these varieties 
have been used as the pollen-bearing or the seed-producing plants.” * 
This dominance of certain characters over others has been confirmed 
by recent work, and it seems likely that those whose work lies only with 
a small number of species in hybridising, as, for example, with the Narcissi, 
where Narcissus poéticus seems to show a greatly predominating influence 
in the colour of the cup over the N. Psewdo-Narcissus varieties, may find 
that the rule holds good, for they may use the dominating partner as the 
pollen parent as a rule, but the rule may not hold in other cases; it may 
not be of universal application. 
Such a law, if it exists, can only be formulated after the examination 
of a large number of instances. The following table shows the result of 
the examination of 183 hybrids, mostly first crosses, though not exclusively 
so, belonging to 67 different genera. Only those cases where the parentage 
seemed to admit of no doubt have been taken, and the Orchidacee have 
been purposely omitted. 
Out of these 183 hybrids we find 42 distinctly following the male 
parent in the colour of the flower, 46 show a dominating influence in this 
direction excited by the seed parent over the pollen parent, 92 show about 
an equal amount of colour derived from both pollen and seed parent, 
while in 3 instances the colouring follows neither. 
Among the 92 hybrids showing equal amounts of influence from both 
parents, 19 were derived from parents whose colours were the same as 
one another, and may, perhaps, be omitted, leaving 73 in column 4 
showing the influence of both parents in the colour of the offspring in 
about equal degrees. 
We have, therefore, omitting these 19 examples, only 49 cases out of 
164 in support of the belief that the pollen parent has the predominating 
influence in determining the colour of the hybrid, while there are 46 cases 
diametrically opposed to it. 
These figures show that there can be no rule stated as to the 
dominating influence of the male or the female parent in all cases, or 
even in the majority of cases. 
We must look rather to the discovery of the dominating characters, 
whether possessed by the male or female parent, upon which to formulate 
a law which shall be a guide on this subject in the future of hybridisa- 
tion. 
One point that has impressed itself upon me particularly in the exami- 
nation of these hybrids is the frequency with which, in certain combinations 
of colours possessed by the parents, the yellow colour of one or the other 
has failed to be transmitted to the offspring: in other words, has proved 
* Darwin, Variation of Animals and Plants, vol. ii.- 
