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MR. W. A. NICHOLSON ON RANUNCULUS FICARIA. 
comparatively new development of scientific work, to consult his 
‘ Grammar of Science,’ already referred to. A quantitative study 
of a series of variations, in the same animal or plant, extended over 
a considerable period of time, would throw still more light on 
the trend of the variation. Hence, I venture to think, that the 
following tabulated results, might afford the necessary data for 
a comparison with results, in the same species, in, say, five years’ or 
ten years’ time. 
The following notes constitute a record of actual cases of variation 
in the sepals and petals of a common wild flower, Ranunculus ficaria. 
Towards the end of Mai'ch, many of our commons and damp 
meadows are conspicuously ornamented with this handsome flower. 
As every one knows, it is seen at its best, with its starlike array of 
yellow petals fully expanded, in bright sunshine. 
The great proportion of the specimens examined were growing in 
the Yare valley, from Keswick to Bramerton, a smaller number from 
Salhouse, on the Bure, the remainder coming from private gardens in 
or near Norwich. The total number of flowers tabulated amounts to 
2116. Many more were examined, but had to be rejected, as being in 
a probably mutilated state. For instance, out of 97 specimens from 
Dr. Beverley’s grounds, at Brundall, 19 were without any sepals, 
that is practically 20 per cent. As these were the only asepalous 
flowers found, I could only suppose that the sepals had been 
removed by some unknown agency. With the exception of one or 
two gatherings from private gardens, which belonged evidently to 
a fairly well marked variety, there is a remarkable sameness in the 
proportions of variations from the mode,* which, in the case of 
this flower, is 3 sepals and 8 petals. To take two instances, out of 
187 flowers from Keswick common, 129 had 3 sepals and 8 petals; 
and out of 361 from Salhouse, 266 had 3 sejjals and 8 petals. In 
the case of the garden variety, out of 1 10 flowers from Mr. Bid well’s 
garden at Thorpe, 77 had over 3 sepals, and 17 of these had 5 sepals. 
There were 5 cases in all, in which 1 sepal sprang from the stem, 
jpinch below the others, in 4 of these cases, £-inch in 1. Also, 
in 5 cases, 1 sepal was partially petaloid, and, in 2 cases, 1 petal 
partially sepaloid. One specimen with 3 sepals and 10 petals, had 
* It may be necessary to explain, that the term mode, in statistics, is used 
to denote the greatest number of cases, which occur in a group, and though 
near the average or mean, can never, if there is any variation, be identical 
with it. 
