when crossed with any other variety. But three birds out of many raised by Mr.
Orton from a cross between a silk cock and a bantam hen had silky feathers.
(14/13. 'Physiology of Breeding' page 22; Mr. Hewitt in 'The Poultry Book' by
Tegetmeier 1866 page 224.) So that it is certain that this breed very seldom
has the power of transmitting its peculiar plumage to its crossed progeny. On
the other hand, there is a silk sub-variety of the fantail pigeon, which has
its feathers in nearly the same state as in the Silk fowl: now we have already
seen that fantails, when crossed, possess singularly weak power in
transmitting their general qualities; but the silk sub-variety when crossed
with any other small-sized race invariably transmits its silky feathers!
(14/14. Boitard and Corbie 'Les Pigeons' 1824 page 226.)

The well-known horticulturist, Mr. Paul, informs me that he fertilised the
Black Prince hollyhock with pollen of the White Globe and the Lemonade and
Black Prince hollyhocks reciprocally; but not one seedling from these three
crosses inherited the black colour of the Black Prince. So, again, Mr. Laxton,
who has had such great experience in crossing peas, writes to me that
"whenever a cross has been effected between a white-blossomed and a purple-
blossomed pea, or between a white-seeded and a purple-spotted, brown or maple-
seeded pea, the offspring seems to lose nearly all the characteristics of the
white-flowered and white-seeded varieties; and this result follows whether
these varieties have been used as the pollen-bearing or seed-producing
parents."

The law of prepotency comes into action when species are crossed, as with
races and individuals. Gartner has unequivocally shown (14/15.
'Bastarderzeugung' s. 256, 290, etc. Naudin 'Nouvelles Archives du Museum'
tome 1 page 149 gives a striking instance of prepotency in Datura stramonium
when crossed with two other species.) that this is the case with plants. To
give one instance: when Nicotiana paniculata and vincaeflora are crossed, the