92 OCCASIONAL PAPERS. 



the matter if we like to commence the work of obser- 

 vation. I chose the subject because I thought it 

 might give us all an object to work for at once, as 

 the Primroses are now coming out. I give you a 

 hint or two about it. Set notes down in your vade- 

 mecum (I suppose no member of a Natural History 

 Society goes out without a note-book) to work out 

 answers to the following questions : 



1 . Are these oxlips most plentiful among primroses 



or amcng cowslips ? 



2. Do those which occur among primroses bear a 



closer resemblance to primroses than to cow- 

 slips ? 



8. Do those among cowslips resemble those flowers 

 most? 



4. Have you ever found primroses and oxlips on 



the same root ? 



5. Have you ever found cowslips and oxlips on the 



same root ? 



In all probability the Primrose, Cowslip, and 

 Oxlip have been developed from one common form, 

 according to surrounding circumstances. 



