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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XLV 



It was indeed a discovery far beyond mediocrity and 

 indicative of excellent powers of observation. For since 

 the days of Caesalpino bnt little advance seemed to have 

 been made as to the organs of reproduction. Even one 

 of Linnaeus 's first papers, ''Praeludia Sponsaliorum 

 arborum," deals with the sexes of plants, and, attracting 

 the attention of Olaf Eudbeck (1729), secured for the 

 ' 'father of botany" in spe, the position of assistant. 5 



Darwin, in the introduction to his "Origin of Species," 

 points to Buffon as the first transnmtationist, though, as 

 he says, it was the views of Lamarck which first at- 

 tracted general attention. But long before their time, 

 when Buffon was but a boy of twelve, Jean March ant 

 had made some very pertinent observations on the sud- 

 den origin of species. Believing genera to have been 

 created as such, a view expressed in his early days by 

 Linnaeus himself in his "Systema Naturae," 6 he was able 

 to see new "species" originate suddenly. He had at his 

 disposal a garden, probably already used by his father, 7 

 who was an ardent collector and introduced the seed of 

 many foreign plants, growing and describing theni. s Hi* 

 observations were made upon Mer cur talis annua, the 

 dog's mercury," a plant long known as possessing certain 

 reputed virtues. 10 



