IRREGULAR PELORIA. 235 



seeds from the Llnaria which reproduced the 

 anomaly when sown in rich soil. Baron MeHcoq 

 obtained similar results.^ Mr. Darwin^ raised sixteen 

 seedHng plants of a peloric Antirrhinum, artificially fer- 

 tihsed by its own pollen, all of which were as perfectly 

 peloric as the parent plant. On the other hand, the same 

 observer alludes to the tendency that these peloric plants 

 have to revert to the usual form, as shown by the fact that 

 when the peloric flowers were crossed with pollen from 

 flowers of the ordinary shape, and vice versa, not one 

 of the seedlings, in either case, bore peloric flowers. 

 Hence, says Mr. Darwin, there is in these flowers " a 

 strong latent tendency to become peloric, and there is 

 also a still greater tendency in all peloric plants to 

 reacquire their normal irregular structure." So that 

 there are two opposed latent tendencies in the same 

 plant. A similar remark has been made with reference 

 to malformations in general by other observers. 



It would be very interesting if some competent 

 naturalist would collect information as to whether any 

 variations in degree of fertility exist in the three 

 forms of flowers in Linaria, viz. the ordinary one- 

 spurred form, which is intermediate between the spur- 

 less and the five-spurred form. It must be remem- 

 bered, however, that in the latter cases the stamens 

 are often deficient. In the Compositce, where there 

 are regular flowers in the disc and irregular ones in 

 the ray, sexual differences, as is well known, accompany 

 the diversities in form. 



To Mr. Darwin the author is indebted for the com- 

 munication of some flowers of Corydalis tuberosa (figs. 

 124, 125), provided with two spurs of nearly equal size. 

 To these flowers allusion is made in the work already 

 quoted' in the following terms : " Corydalis tuberosa 

 properly has one of its two nectaries colourless, desti- 

 tute of nectar, only half the size of the other, and 



' BwU, Soc. Bot. France,' vol. vi, 1859, p. 717. 

 ' ' Variation of Anim. and Plants,' ii, p. 70. 

 * Loc. cit., p. 69. 



