230 ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING OP CHAP. V. 



mately fertilised with pollen from the same plant, and 

 they yielded only a single capsule, which, however, con- 

 tained a rather large number of seeds for a union of 

 this nature, namely, 23. As a standard of comparison 

 I may state that during the same three seasons 44 

 flowers borne by legitimate short-styled plants were 

 self-fertilised, and yielded 26 capsules; so that the 

 fact of the 27 flowers on the illegitimate plant having 

 produced only one capsule proves how sterile it was. 

 To show that the conditions of life were favourable, 

 I will add that numerous plants of this and other 

 species of Primula all produced an abundance of 

 capsules whilst growing close by in the same soil with 

 the present and following plants. The sterility of the 

 above illegitimate short-styled plant depended on 

 both the male and female organs being in a deterio- 

 rated condition. This was manifestly the case with 

 the pollen ; for many of the anthers were shrivelled 

 or contabescent. Nevertheless some of the anthers 

 contained pollen, with which I succeeded in fertilising 

 some flowers on the illegitimate long-styled plants 

 immediately to be described. Four flowers on this 

 same short-styled plant were likewise legitimately fer- 

 tilised with pollen from one of the following long- 

 styled plants ; but only one capsule was produced, 

 containing 26 seeds ; and this is a very low number 

 for a legitimate union. 



With respect to the five illegitimate long-styled 

 plants of the first generation, derived from the above 

 self-fertilised short-styled and long-styled parents, 

 their fertility was observed during the same three 

 years. These five plants, when self-fertilised, differed 

 considerably from one another in their degree of 

 fertility, as was the case with the illegitimate long- 

 styled plants of In/thrum salicaria ; and their fertility 



