328 Origin of Each Species Considered Separately. 



ready been briefly described on p. 230 and will be treated 

 of in detail shortly, was present on every individual 

 plant; and, as far as investigated, the characters did. not 

 differ from plant to plant. 



Once the young rosette is recognized its future pecu- 

 liarities can be predicted, as in the example of the muta- 

 tion of which Fig. 48 is a photograph, which was also 

 photographed again when it was in flower (Fig. 49) 

 (See pp. 280 and 282). I have often planted the mutants 

 singly or in groups so soon as I have recognized them 

 in order to be able to follow their further development 

 during the course of the summer. 



It is very important to note that the various char- 

 acters, the red coloring, the brittleness, the narrow leaves, 

 the hairy appearance, and so forth, have never appeared 

 separately. It is obviously out of the question that this 

 association can be ascribed to chance, seeing that it has 

 occurred in 66 cases. There can be no doubt that there 

 is some sort of a connection between them. 



This conclusion receives strong support from the 

 fact that even in the oft"spring of crosses the ruhrinervis 

 characters remain associated, as I have observed in numer- 

 ous cases. And exactly the same is true not only of the 

 newly arisen mutations but of the offspring of crosses 

 made with them. Every species has its "type" according 

 to which its whole nature is altered; this ''type" affects 

 its whole organization in such a way that hardly a char- 

 acter or an organ is untouched by it. 



This hidden connection between characters which are 

 invariably associated together needs an explanation. Two 

 possibilities present themselves. First, it is conceivable 

 that all these visible characters are only expressions of a 

 single change, and that a mutation is brought about by 



