‘ Flowers' of Cephalotaxus . 643 
two flowers ; in Phyllocladus several alternating fertile bracts, 
thus several flowers ; in Cephalotaxus several pairs of fertile 
bracts. As regards each individual flower : in Taxus are 
three pairs of sterile leaves and a single sporophyll reduced 
to an ovule in a terminal position ; in Torreya are two pairs 
of sterile leaves and a terminal ovule ; in Phyllocladus a single 
terminal ovule, the entire floral axis being abortive ; in Cephalo- 
taxus , as in Ginkgo , are no sterile leaves and two lateral sporo- 
phylls reduced to ovules. 
Here then we have the homologies and relationships between 
the different members of the group sufficiently clearly stated. 
I am of opinion that they express the true state of things 
much more nearly than do the views put forward by the 
authors cited above. I will now proceed to give some 
account of my own immediate observations on the female 
flowers of Cephalotaxus. 
Original Observations. 
The tree from which the proliferating flowers were obtained 
stands in Windsor Park not far from Virginia Water. When 
quite young the tree was completely covered with a wire 
netting, doubtless with the object of preserving it from 
rabbits. This protection was, however, never removed, with 
the consequence that the tree during its subsequent growth 
became strangled and dwarfed in size, and lost its normal 
shape. There is a fine male tree standing near ; but, although 
it produces flowers, pollen, I believe, is never shed ; hence 
the flowers of the female tree could never be pollinated. 
I mention these two facts because it is possible that one or 
both of them may account for the. proliferations of the female 
flowers. 
I undertook the examination of these abnormal flowers in 
the hope that by means of them some direct light might be 
thrown on the morphology of the female flowers generally, for 
I am one of those who believe that abnormalities, if treated 
properly, may be of great value in this direction. 
