578 



THE AMEBIC AX NATURALIST [Vol.XLVI 



figures 3.'U..">7 : -.'.'^ : 2. 'J 4 * : 1 1 >.47. The observed numbers 

 are somewhat closer to the 63 : 1 than to the 127 : 1, the 

 proportion next above in the proposed series. But why 

 avoid the intermediates? 



It should be kept in mind that the series was built up 

 in the first place, not because the observed numbers 

 agreed with some member of this series more closely 

 than was to be expected by the laws of chance, but ap- 

 parently for a priori reasons, because the numbers in 

 this series were m aeeoi •d with the Mendelian ratios for 

 the appearance of single characters which represent 

 powers of 2. 



When the correlation is as high as in the above ex- 

 ample it would require, not hundreds of individuals, but 

 tens of thousands to prove that the observed numbers 

 were in accord with those resulting from any particular 

 gametic ratio. In the experiment referred to the 61:1 

 ratio, there are two classes represented by 4 and 2 in- 

 dividuals, respectively. A change of two or three in- 

 dividuals in each of these classes would cause the array 

 to correspond as closely with a 31 : 1 or 127 : 1 ratio as 

 it now does with the 63 : 1. 



In the very nature of things any observed association 

 must fall nearer to some one of the calculated ratios 

 than to any other, yet in the discussion of these experi- 

 ments this seems not to have been appreciated. The 

 data would have supported in the same way any other 

 choice of preferred ratios. 



Coherent Characters in Hybrids of Chinese Maize 

 Beginning in 1908, experiments have been conducted 

 with a variety of maize secured from China. The endo- 

 sperm of this Chinese variety is of a peculiar waxy tex- 

 ture, a character thus far not reported in any other 

 variety. 



There are two strains of the Chinese variety, one 

 white, the other with colored aleurone. In a series of 



