2 1 2 Oranges and Lemons of India. 



the limited nourishment of the tree, might injuriously 

 shade other leaves from the sun, while the deciduous 

 leaves, after decaying, would furnish manure or raw 

 materials for further growth. 



In connection with the trifoliate leaf of the citrus, I 

 would refer to Dr. Masters, fig. 32, page 74, of his 

 " Teratology." He gives it as a curious instance of an 

 anomalous form of orange. I have reproduced it in 

 pi. 241, fig. d. In this figure, I have endeavoured to 

 complete by the dotted outline d', this tricarpellar 

 orange, as I think it possible to have been. It would 

 appear that each leaflet, or carpel, instead of uniting 

 with its fellows, to form a round or oblong fruit, had 

 formed a separate orange, consisting of one carpel, 

 like that of a pea-pqd, viz., that of the odd leaflet, and 

 one of the side ones, the third leaflet-carpel remaining 

 undeveloped. Dr. Masters does not give any details 

 of this anomaly, so that I cannot say whether this 

 might be the probable view. Risso gives several 

 examples of "horned " oranges, in which one or more 

 of the carpels remained separate, each having within 

 its rind-carpel, a separate pulp-carpel. 



All this chapter is nothing but a speculation, and 

 the reader may take it for what it is worth. Some- 

 times speculations have this value. Although absurd 

 in themselves, they may tempt some one to make 

 observations and experiments in directions which 

 possibly he might not think of. Evolution of thought, 

 like all other evolution, can take place only by slow 

 degrees, and if what I said will help, in any way, future 

 investigators in this obscure region, this chapter may 

 perhaps not be wholly useless. 



It is not easy to convey to the reader a clear notion 

 of what a large part of this chapter is about. One 

 requires to have pondered over the subject, and to 



