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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXXVII. 



leaflets or fewer. In the specimen figured the reduction has 

 produced at the base a leaf of seven leaflets. From this stage 

 the reductions following the figure, are as follows, Fig. 41. 

 At the base no. 1 is a leaf of seven leaflets. The lower pair of 

 leaflets in this leaf is somewhat changed so that they have almost 

 the character of stipules. This shows that the reduction should 

 be thought of as a 

 failure to develop 

 characters, even the 

 distal half of these 

 two leaflets being 

 much nearer the usu- 

 al form than the prox- 

 imal half. The teeth 

 on the distal side are 

 well developed and 

 the lateral secondary 

 veins show well, while 

 on the proximal side 

 the teeth are few and 

 poorly developed and 

 the veins are not dis- 

 tinguishable. By the 

 shortening of the 

 proximal side by its 

 weaker development, 

 t he vvh< )le shape of the 

 leaflet is changed and 

 greatly aborted from 

 "'Leavw i ts usual form. The 

 same modification of 

 of leaves below the flower in 

 other plants. To continue with the development toward the 



second pair has assumed a like abortive character. Here the 

 whole proximal half is without teeth. This simple part of the 

 lowest pair of proximal leaflets has varying degrees of reduction 

 in different cases. The leaf number 3 has been reduced to three 



ximal leaflets is charaet 



