258 BRAINERD: FOUR HYBRIDS OF VIOLA PEDATIFIDA 
we note the ratio in which the several hybrid characters in brood 
781 segregate in the F; offspring: 
The 10 Aa plants had 113 offspring: 23 A’s, 54 Aa’s, 36 a’s 20:48 :32 
The 7 Bb plants had 74 offspring: 14 B's, 35 Bb’s, 25 b’s Ss Ss 10:47:34 
The 12 Ce plants had 130 offspring: 23 C’s, 67 Cc’s, 40 c’s ratio in ‘% 18:51:31 
The 10 Dd plants had 93 offspring: rg D’s, 44 Dad's, 36 d's 14:47:39 
Total 410 73 normal ratio: 25:50:25 
Combining these results, we find in 410 instances of the reproduc- 
tion of a hybrid character, that instead of 1024 reversions to the 
positive character there are only 73; instead of 2 5 per cent, only 18. 
However, the determination of the characters in these 171 F; 
offspring rests only upon their appearance, having not been as yet 
verified by observing the behavior of the F, offspring. Of this 
generation 45-50 broods are hoped for by another season from 
seed already sown. But we seem to be already justified in the 
suspicion that in a species-hybrid as complex as the one under 
experiment, where the opposed characters of the parents appear 
in a blend or intermediate form, this form may acquire a certain 
degree of fixity, whereby the reversions to the positive type in a 
pair of opposed characters are less complete and less frequent 
than in normal Mendelian segregation and the reversions to the 
negative type more frequent. If we might assume that the 
gametes holding the positive character were more or less impure, 
while the gametes holding the negative character were pure, the 
situation would be fairly well accounted for. 
In the great diversity of forms displayed in the 171 F; offspring 
the most interesting group are the 41 exhybrids, in which all of 
the four characters under study are reversionary and constant. 
Among these we find three plants in which the four characters of 
V. pedatifida, A.b.c.d, reappear, one plant in each of the broods 
858, 863, and 872. What may be called a form of V. pedatifida 
with uncut leaves, a.b.c.d, is found once in each of the broods 863, 
871, 872. A pubescent V. pedatifida, A.B.c.d, occurs in brood 
858. A purple-capsuled V. pedatifida, A.b. C.d, occurs in both 
858 and 872. Similarly, we have a cut-leaved V. sororia, 
A.B.C.D, in brood 861; a green-capsuled V. sororia, a.B.c.D, 
once in brood 861 and three times in brood 866; and a buff-seeded 
V. sororia, a.B.C.d, in broods 853, 855, 860, 867, and 869, eleven 
plants in all. In short, all but five of the sixteen possible combi- 
