Igto] SHULL—INHERITANCE OF SEX IN LYCHNIS 123 
Aside from the remarkable difference in the value of the means, 
the two curves are skewed in opposite directions, the strong negative 
skewness and suggested bimodality of the sex curve, as contrasted 
with the nearly normal character of the curve for color, being par- 
ticularly noteworthy. The variability represented by these two 
curves is properly compared by means of the standard deviations, 
and not by the coefficient of variability, since we are dealing here with 
groups of variates having similar theoretical limits of range, and 
similar expected mean values. On this basis the sex ratios show 
considerably greater variability than those of the color character. 
This is especially interesting in view of the fact, pointed out elsewhere 
(SHULL 10), that crosses between heterozygous purple and white 
Lychnis dioica may frequently result in other ratios than 1:1, owing 
to the part taken by several distinct genes in the production of the 
purple colors in this species, and that therefore the data for the color 
curve may be somewhat heterogeneous, while the sex data are at 
present assumed to be homogeneous. 
Summary 
Hermaphrodite mutants occur in pure-bred families of Lychnis 
dioica L.., the ratio of mutability being somewhat less than 1: 1000. 
None of these hermaphrodites was diseased and several were 
fully functional both as females and males, thus negativing the sug- 
gestion of SrRASBURGER that the hermaphrodites in this species may 
always be due to the attacks of the smut, Ustilago violacea. 
In their hereditary relations these hermaphrodites were of two 
kinds, some behaving like normal males, others having the capacity 
of transmitting the hermaphrodite character to their male offspring. 
This second class of hermaphrodites when self fertilized, or crossed 
with normal females, gives progenies consisting of normal females and 
hermaphrodites, and when fertilized by normal males gives normal 
females and normal males. 
The hermaphrodite individuals are modified males, for in all 
families in which these hermaphrodites were the pollen parents the 
offspring showed the same ratios of females and hermaphrodites as 
would have been expected of females and males had a normal male 
been used as the pollen parent. 
