ON VARIATIONS. 353 



even become yellow, and in their now rounded form 

 they approached common European maize. In the 

 third generation nearly all resemblance to the original 

 and very distinct American parent-form was lost. In 

 the sixth generation this maize perfectly resembled a 

 European variety." 



Other instances of the cumulative effects of condi- 

 tions of life on plants have already been recorded in 

 former chapters. Thus Lesage found that if Garden 

 cress were treated with salted water, a much more 

 marked effect was produced in the second year than in 

 the first, the alteration effected in the tissues of the 

 second generation seeming to be carried on from the 

 point gained in the first. Bonnier found that seeds of 

 Teucrium scorodonia gathered from plants growing at 

 high altitudes, and sown in Paris, only produced plants 

 showing nearly similar characters to the local forms 

 after three years' exposure to the new environment. 



Among members of the Animal Kingdom the evi- 

 dence is no less conclusive. Thus Darwin * records 

 that " Dr. Bachman states that he has seen turkeys 

 raised from the eggs of the wild species lose their 

 metallic tints and become spotted with white in the 

 third generation." Again, Mr. Hewitt, who often 

 reared ducks from the eggs of the wild bird, and who 

 was careful that there should be no crossing with do- 

 mestic breeds, " found that he could not breed these 

 wild ducks true for more than five or six generations, 

 as they proved so much less beautiful. The white col- 

 lar round the neck of the mallard became much 

 broader and more irregular, and white feathers ap- 



, ii. p. 250. 



