CHAP. II THE COMMON OXLIP. 67 



We see in these five tables the number of capsules 

 aud of seeds produced, by crossing both forms of the 

 oxlip in a legitimate and illegitimate manner with one 

 another, and with the two forms of the primrose and 

 cowslip. I may premise that the pollen of two of the 

 short-styled oxlips consisted of nothing but minute 

 aborted whitish cells; but in the third short-styled 

 plant about one-fifth of the grains appeared in a sound 

 condition. Hence it is not surprising that neither 

 the short-styled nor the long-styled oxlip produced a 

 single seed when fertilised with this pollen. Nor did 

 the pure cowslips or primroses when illegitimately fer- 

 tilised with it ; but when thus legitimately fertilised 

 they yielded a few good seeds. The female organs of 

 the short-styled oxlips, though greatly deteriorated in 

 power, were in a rather better condition than the male 

 organs ; for though the short-styled oxlips yielded no 

 seed when fertilised by the long-styled oxlips, and 

 hardly any when illegitimately fertilised by pure cow- 

 slips ov primroses, yet when legitimately fertilised by 

 these latter species, especially by the long-styled 

 primrose, they yielded a moderate supply of good 

 seed. 



The long-styled oxlip was more fertile than the 

 three short-styled oxlips, and about half its pollen- 

 grains appeared sound. It bore no seed when legiti- 

 mately fertilised by the short-styled oxlips ; but this 

 no doubt was due to the badness of the pollen of 

 the latter; for when illegitimately fertilised (Table 

 14) by its own pollen it produced some good seeds, 

 though much fewer than self-fertilised cowslips or 

 primroses would have produced. The long-styled ox- 

 lip likewise yielded a very low average of seed, as may 

 be seen in the third compartment of the four latter 

 tables, when illegitimately fertilised by, and when 



