682 Mutations 



in a later stage. They may even sometimes be- 

 come abnormal. Stamens may unite into pairs, 

 or carpels bear four stigmas. The pollen-sacs 

 are as a rule barren, the mother-cells under- 

 going atrophy, while normal grains are seen but 

 rarely. Likewise the ovaries are rudimentary, 

 but Wittmack has observed the occasional 

 production of ripe grains from these abnormal 

 florets. 



The scale is seldom seen to extend any far- 

 ther upwards than the supernumerary flower. 

 But in the rare instances where it does pro- 

 long its growth, it may repeat the abnormality 

 and bear a second floret above the first. This of 

 course is generally much weaker, and more rudi- 

 mentary. 



Eaciborsky, who has lately given a full and 

 very accurate description of this anomaly, lays 

 great stress upon the fact that it is quite use- 

 less. It is perhaps the most obviously useless 

 structure in the whole vegetable kingdom. Not- 

 withstanding this, it has come to be as complete- 

 ly hereditary as any of the most beautiful adap- 

 tations in nature. Therefore it is one of the 

 most serious objections to the hypothesis of 

 slow and gradual improvements on the sole 

 ground of their usefulness. The struggle for 

 life and natural selection are manifestly in- 

 adequate to give even the slightest indication of 



