1 14 Salisbury , — Variation in Anemone apennina , Z,., <2;^ Clematis 
the carpel is relatively flat in contrast with the robust swollen character of 
those which are fertile. Two types can, however, be recognized. In one 
the ovary remains quite small and the length of the style is only about 
4 to 5 mm. These doubtless represent carpels which have not been 
pollinated. It is significant of the effectiveness of the entomophilous 
pollination of this species that only an insignificant proportion of this type 
was encountered. The second type, representing about 98-99 per cent, of 
the abortive fruits, embraces those in which the ovary has undergone 
enlargement, though the absence of endosperm results in the flattened 
character already referred to. In these the style is almost, if not quite, as 
long as in fertile achenes. In the study of abortion in this plant we are not 
therefore dealing with the idiosyncrasies of a pollinating agent, but with 
some more subtle factor. 
The number of abortive carpels was determined in 1,040 of the gynaecea 
examined, and a glance at the correlation table on p. 113 shows that there 
is a definite tendency for the number of abortive carpels to increase with the 
increase in total number of carpels. The proportion nevertheless diminishes, 
as shown by the slight downward trend of the percentage curve (cf. Fig. 7). 
As the more numerous carpels are generally associated with the better 
nourished flowers, the extent of abortion would seem to be also determined 
by conditions of nutrition and favourable development. In order to obtain 
evidence on this point the average percentage of abortive carpels in a number 
of terminal fruiting heads was compared with that of the corresponding 
laterals. The value of the former was found to be 11*7 per cent, and of the 
latter 13-6 per cent. That is to say, the proportion of carpels which abort 
is greater in the lateral flowers than in the terminal. 
Additional Note on Ficaria verna. 
Since the publication of the writer’s previous paper in which the variations 
of this species were dealt with, several further papers on this species have 
come to his notice. Of these, the most important are those by F. Ludwig 
(1908), Prof. Macleod (1907), and A. A. Dallman (1915 and 1916). In the 
first of these a number of tables are furnished which show the correlation 
between sepals and petals in Ficaria verna . The corresponding correlation 
coefficients were subsequently worked out by Miss Lee (1908) for the various 
localities from which the specimens were obtained and show a positive 
correlation in most cases which seems to preclude the acceptance of the 
transformation theory (0-1928+0-0205; 0-1954 + 0-0203 ; 0-0188 + 0-0260; 
and 0-2237+0-0203). In the second paper Prof. Macleod gives correlation 
data for the number of stamens and pistils of 373 late flowers and 268 early 
flowers. From the figures there furnished the curves illustrated (Fig. 9) 
were constructed, and it will be noted that the androecia of the late flowers 
show two modes corresponding to fifteen and eighteen stamens respectively, 
