944 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



from the male tree of the caprifig, through elimination of 

 the male flowers. The gall flowers in not being used for' 

 galls would naturally endeavor to regain their female nat- 

 ure, while the female flowers by now and then being pol- 

 linated would more or less retain their female or seed- 

 producing nature. This theory was first suggested by 

 me in letter to Prof. Solms-Loubach, who however thinks 

 that the origin of this class may be equally well explained 

 by supposing their descent from the female caprifig, in 

 which case the female flowers throug-h non-use have be- 

 come degenerated. But the fact that this class contains 

 both mule flowers and perfect female flowers speaks, I 

 think, in favor of my theory that the mule flowers are in 

 reality only degenerated gall flowers, or perhaps more 

 correctly gall flowers which through non-use are regain- 

 ing their female nature. If descended from the female 

 tree of the caprifig there is nothing to explain why some 

 of the flowers are capable of producing seed while the 

 majority are not. 



The second type or Smyrna figs must have descended 

 directl}^ from the female tree of the caprifig, their flowers 

 having retained their female nature through constant cap- 

 rification. ' 



The third class is more difficult to explain. However, 

 I think it may have descended from a cross between an 

 improved Smyrna and a caprifig. 



The fourth class is nothing- else than a direct descend- 

 ant from the male caprifig. It retains its male flowers, 

 they having not yet been eliminated, while the pomolog- 

 ical maturity is simply an improved botanical maturity of 

 the caprifig, as it is well known that several varieties of 

 caprifigs are edible, though inferior in quality. 



How this cultural evolution and development could 

 have taken place is not difficult to understand. The 



