24 



PINACEJE. 



speculate upon its nature or cause, we shall never more fully explain 

 this inexplicable fact than ^sTature has explained it — that it is one of 

 her axioms to produce variety ; and that with her there is no such 

 phrase as hond fide reversion to all the minute characteristics of the 

 parent, though the well-marked and distinct character of the prototype 

 is invariably retained ; while each race and succeeding race are only so 

 many individual races ; each individual of which is only an individual 

 form or variety of the parent quasi-species : all of them, however they 

 may differ in degree, are but so many forms or varieties of the proto- 

 type. After what I have already indicated it wouM be superfluous to 

 enter upon the discussion of such propositions as : — "Species, race, 

 variety," " species, variety, race," or " species, varieties, races, species j " 

 which might or might not be very amusing, but certainly such a dis- 

 cussion would not be very edifying or profitable ; inasmuch as I have 

 already indicated, if not disposed of, the pro and con of all such 

 theoretical propositions. 



Having now then, secured our firs and pines ; and having taken 

 our retrospective summary of our subjects; I proceed to classify them 

 according to my theory of common sense. Most authors and writers 

 of modern times treat of the firs and pines as an order, class, or 

 cognate family of plants under the generic title of Coniferse ; which 

 term, however, as will be seen from the sequel, is quite untenable ; 

 being, as it is, when appHed to all of them half true and half false. 

 That the firs and pines are a cognate family cannot be gainsaid ; but 

 their natural affinities consist not in their cones, nor have they any 

 true and close affinity in their foliage, flowers, and fruit ; they are, 

 however, somewhat related in flowers and foliage : and still more so in 

 their structure fabrics ; building up, as it were, their timber in con- 

 centric layers, which are annually added with some degree of regularity, 

 and which can ever after be recognized in the mature or aged tree ; and 

 from which in most cases we can approximate the age of a tree 

 when felled ; but even here we again encounter variety ; for some of 

 those species which are remarkable in making several and successive 

 growths in one season will, when cut, show more concentric rings than 

 they have years in age ; amongst which kinds are both of the species 

 of Gigantabies. These concentric ring- growths are also very variable in 

 thickness, not only in different species, but, likewise, in different trees 

 of the same species j and, moreover, are still more variable on different 

 sides of the same tree. Again, it will frequently be found that a tree 

 may have grown very rapidly for a series of years, and then very 



