riantago Lanccolata Ramosa. 155 



gave rise respectively to three and six cultures derived 

 from the nine seed-parents. Each culture consisted of 

 from 35 to 100 plants, making together 600 flowering 

 individuals bearing 4000 inflorescences. These were un- 

 branched without exception. 



The question suggests itself, whether the seed-atavists 

 and the bud-atavists belong to the same type. On the 

 one hand it is possible that the constancy of the former 

 is not always so al)solute as it appeared in my experiment. 

 On the other hand, lM-anched Imd-variants might occa- 

 sionally appear in the race derived from the atavistic 

 l)ud-variants, and such might have been the cause of the 

 occurrence of branched individuals (8%) in my culture 

 of 1900. But further investigations are necessary to 

 provide a satisfactory answer to this question. 



Plantago lanccolata ramosa, therefore, gives rise to 

 atavistic individuals, cither by seed (about 30%) or by 

 buds (very seldom) which are either absolutely, or at 

 least in a high degree, constant from seed. 



It still remains to describe briefly the fluctuating vari- 

 ability of our race of plantains. This is considerable, 

 and conforms to the common laws; especially is it de- 

 pendent to a large extent on external conditions and, 

 within certain limits, capable of being altered by selec- 

 tion. The observations, which I now shall give, refer 

 to true ;'a///6>^a-plants, and not to atavists and bud-varia- 

 tions. 



The variability of this race corresponds with that 

 of other monstrous races inasmuch as the curve describ- 

 ing it is dimorphic.^ During Jnly and August 1893 I 



^ Sur Ics conrhcs galtonicnncs dc3 monstruositcs. Bull. Scientif. 

 de la France et de la Bclgiqne, public par A. Giard, XXVII, 1(896, 

 P- 397- 



