Amphicarpea mionotca. 27 
active in effecting such transformations; chief among these 
may be reckoned the amount of moisture. The great ease 
with which chlorophyll is replaced by anthocyanin, and the 
disappearance of the strengthening tissue, lead to the conclu- 
sion that the primitive hereditary characteristics may readily 
be set aside, and some latent or recently acquired ones be 
stimulated into vigorous development. 
The great increase in size of the seeds is probably due to 
rapid accumulation of moisture. Weighing these seeds 
before and after exposure to heat, is proof that water forms a 
large percentage of the constituents. The more numerous 
my observations, the more I incline to the supposition that the 
hairs upon the legume must assist greatly in the work of 
imbibition, but as yet no definite information has been 
obtained. 
I have stated in the published paper already referred to, 
that I consider the purple flowers to represent the original type. 
This remark is equally true of their legumes. Therefore 
taking these as a standard, we are ready from what we know 
concerning the structure of the subterranean flower, to antici- 
pate equally great reductions in the subterranean legumes, and 
such we have seen to be the case. Developing in darkness, 
the protoplasm remains less active, the plastids decrease in 
‘number, the elements upon whose mechanical activity dehi- 
scence in the aerial type is largely dependent, are entirely 
undifferentiated. Yet experimental work convinces one, that 
it would be an easy task to obtain a complete series illustrating 
every step in the transformation. 
The history of Amphicarpea is thus a striking epitome of 
flower and fruit variation. It is evident that the production 
of these diverse forms lies quite within the possibilities and 
indeed the probabilities of any one plant. These modifications 
occur before our eyes, as it were, in a comparatively short 
period of time. 
To obtain evidence upon the subject of variation, it is 
