350 Miscellaneous. 



But a sudden change, like that hinted at by our Begonia, was not 

 contemplated by Mr. Darwin's hypothesis; and if such should ever 

 be established; if seeds should ever be raised from such a flower, and 

 should breed true, then the theory would receive a serious damage, 

 and a few such cases would overthrow it altogether. For, says Mr. 

 Darwin, at page 206, " on the theory of natural selection we can 

 clearly understand the full meaning of that old canon in natural 

 history, ' Natura non facit saltum.' This canon, if we look only to 

 the present inhabitants of the world, is not strictly correct ; but if we 

 include all those of past times, it must by my theory be strictly 

 true." It might be easily shown, by quoting other passages, that 

 the theory, strictly taken, denies not only a "saltus" but a " gra- 

 dus," and proceeds by a sliding-scale. But let us confine ourselves to 

 the " saltus." Is it not a " saltus " for a plant, at one bound, to change 

 an inferior ovary and unisexual flowers to a superior ovary and 

 bisexual ? Would not such a fact, if fairly established in the vege- 

 table world, be almost as wonderful as if a rhinoceros were born of 

 an elephant? And are we quite sure that such a fact has not oc- 

 curred in Nature 1 I merely throw out as a hint — not as asserting 

 a truth, or even a probability, but merely as a hint, hypothetically 

 put — that there are two natural orders of plants which have so many 

 indications of common affinity that they were placed near together 

 by Mr. Brown, but which differ from each other nearly by the very 

 same characters as those by which our monstrous Begonia differs 

 from its normal parent. The orders T allude to are Aristolochiaceee 

 and Nepenthacese. Aristolochiaceas, like Begonia, has an inferior 

 ovary of 3-6 carpels ; Nepenthacese, like our monster, a superior 

 ovary of 4 carpels. On theoretic principles, it is probable that 

 Nepenthaceee is the newest type ; for it is not, as yet, generically 

 diversified, its flowers are 4-merous, its embryo more fully organized, 

 and its geographical range more limited ; and, as we are supposing, 

 we may further guess that if Nepenthes were born " per saltum " 

 from an Aristolochioid, it was some such genus as Trichopodium or 

 Asiphonia that performed the part of cuckoo-parent. I use the 

 term "cuckoo-parent" advisedly, for I should consider such an 

 origin to be as true and as miraculous a creation (not " manufac- 

 ture ") of a new type as if it had pleased the Divine Creator to call 

 up, without seed, from the dust of the ground, a new organism, by the 

 power of his omnipotent word. — Gardener s Chronicle, Feb. 25, 1860. 



J'he Monstrous Begonia frigida at Kew, in relation to Mr. Darwin'' s 

 Theory of Natural Selection. By J. D. Hooker, M.D. 



Your ingenious correspondent. Dr. Harvey of Dublin, has noticed this 

 remarkable plant in your last Number, and described the singular mo- 

 difications of the floral organs as presenting a most decided " saltus." 

 He proceeds to speculate on the importance of this case as affecting 

 Mr, Darwin's theory, and, by what appears to me to be reasoning 

 "per saltum," he arrives at the conclusion that "a few such cases 

 would overthrow Mr. Darwin's hypothesis altogether!" Now I 

 venture, on the contrary, to think that the "saltus" of this Begonia 

 frigida has not the importance which Dr. Harvey imagines ; and 



