CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
March7[1855]……IhavejustfinishedworkingwellatWollaston’s（ThomasVernonWollastondied（inhisfifty—seventhyear，asIbelieve）onJanuary4，1878。Hishealthforcinghiminearlymanhoodtowinterinthesouth，hedevotedhimselftoastudyoftheColeopteraofMadeira，theCapedeVerdes，andSt。Helena，whencehededucedevidenceinsupportofthebeliefinthesubmergedcontinentof’Atlantis。’InanobituarynoticebyMr。Rye（’Nature，’1878）heisdescribedasworkingpersistently"uponabroadconceptionofthesciencetowhichhewasdevoted，"whilebeingatthesametime"accurate，elaborate，andpreciseadpunctum，andnaturallyofaminutelycriticalhabit。"HisfirstscientificpaperwaswrittenwhenhewasanundergraduateatJesusCollege，Cambridge。WhileattheUniversity，hewasanAssociateandafterwardsaMemberoftheRayClub:thisisasmallsocietywhichstillmeetsonceaweek，andwheretheundergraduatemembers，orAssociates，receivemuchkindlyencouragementfromtheirelders。）’InsectaMaderensia’:itisanADMIRABLEwork。ThereisaverycuriouspointintheastoundingproportionofColeopterathatareapterous;
andIthinkIhaveguessedthereason，viz。，thatpowersofflightwouldbeinjurioustoinsectsinhabitingaconfinedlocality，andexposethemtobeblowntothesea:totestthis，IfindthattheinsectsinhabitingtheDezerteGrande，aquitesmallislet，wouldbestillmoreexposedtothisdanger，andheretheproportionofapterousinsectsisevenconsiderablygreaterthanonMadeiraProper。WollastonspeaksofMadeiraandtheotherArchipelagoesasbeing"sureandcertainwitnessesofForbes’oldcontinent，"andofcoursetheEntomologicalworldimplicitlyfollowsthisview。Buttomyeyesitwouldbedifficulttoimaginefactsmoreopposedtosuchaview。Itisreallydisgustingandhumiliatingtoseedirectlyoppositeconclusionsdrawnfromthesamefacts。
IhavehadsomecorrespondencewithWollastononthisandothersubjects，andIfindthathecoollyassumes，（1）thatformerlyinsectspossessedgreatermigratorypowersthannow，（2）thattheoldlandwasSPECIALLYrichincentresofcreation，（3）thattheunitinglandwasdestroyedbeforethespecialcreationshadtimetodiffuse，and（4）thatthelandwasbrokendownbeforecertainfamiliesandgenerahadtimetoreachfromEuropeorAfricathepointsoflandinquestion。Arenottheseajollylotofassumptions？andyetIshallseeforthenextdozenorscoreofyearsWollastonquotedasprovingtheformerexistenceofpoorForbes’Atlantis。
IhopeIhavenotweariedyou，butIthoughtyouwouldliketohearaboutthisbook，whichstrikesmeasEXCELLENTinitsfacts，andtheauthoramostniceandmodestman。
Mosttrulyyours，C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
Down，March19th[1855]。
MydearFox，Howlongitissincewehavehadanycommunication，andIreallywanttohearhowtheworldgoeswithyou;butmyimmediateobjectistoaskyoutoobserveapointforme，andasIknownowyouareaverybusymanwithtoomuchtodo，IshallhaveagoodchanceofyourdoingwhatIwant，asitwouldbehopelesstoaskaquiteidleman。AsyouhaveaNoah’sArk，Idonotdoubtthatyouhavepigeons。（HowIwishbyanychancetheywerefantails！）NowwhatIwanttoknowis，atwhatagenestlingpigeonshavetheirtailfeatherssufficientlydevelopedtobecounted。IdonotthinkI
eversawayoungpigeon。Iamhardatworkatmynotescollectingandcomparingthem，inorderinsometwoorthreeyearstowriteabookwithallthefactsandarguments，whichIcancollect，FORANDVERSUStheimmutabilityofspecies。Iwanttogettheyoungofourdomesticbreeds，toseehowyoung，andtowhatdegreethedifferencesappear。Imusteitherbreedmyself（whichisnoamusementbutahorridboretome）thepigeonsorbuytheiryoung;andbeforeIgotoaseller，whomIhaveheardoffromYarrell，Iamreallyanxioustoknowsomethingabouttheirdevelopment，nottoexposemyexcessiveignorance，andthereforebeexcessivelyliabletobecheatedandgulled。WithrespecttotheONEpointofthetailfeathers，itisofcourseinrelationtothewonderfuldevelopmentoftailfeathersintheadultfantail。Ifyouhadanybreedofpoultrypure，Iwouldbegachickenwithexactagestated，aboutaweekorfortnightold！Tobesentinaboxbypost，ifyoucouldhavethehearttokillone;andsecondly，wouldletmepaypostage……Indeed，Ishouldbeverygladtohaveanestlingcommonpigeonsent，forImeantomakeskeletons，andhavealreadyjustbeguncomparingwildandtameducks。AndIthinktheresultsrathercurious（"Ihavejustbeentestingpracticallywhatdisusedoesinreducingparts;Ihavemadeskeletonofwildandtameduck（oh，thesmellofwell—
boiled，highduck！！）andIfindthetame—duckwingought，accordingtoscaleofwildprototype，tohaveitstwowings360grainsinweight，butithasitonly317。"——AlettertoSirJ。Hooker，1855。），foronweighingtheseveralbonesverycarefully，whenperfectlycleanedtheproportionalweightsofthetwohavegreatlyvaried，thefootofthetamehavinglargelyincreased。HowIwishIcouldgetalittlewildduckofaweekold，butthatIknowisalmostimpossible。
Withrespecttoourselves，Ihavenotmuchtosay;wehavenowaterriblynoisyhousewiththewhoopingcough，butotherwiseareallwell。FarthegreatestfactaboutmyselfisthatIhaveatlastquitedonewiththeeverlastingbarnacles。Attheendoftheyearwehadtwoofourlittleboysveryillwithfeverandbronchitis，andallsortsofailments。Partlyforamusement，andpartlyforchangeofair，wewenttoLondonandtookahouseforamonth，butitturnedoutagreatfailure，forthatdreadfulfrostjustsetinwhenwewent，andallourchildrengotunwell，andE。andIhadcoughsandcoldsandrheumatismnearlyallthetime。Wehadputdownfirstonourlistofthingstodo，togoandseeMrs。Fox，butliterallyafterwaitingsometimetoseewhethertheweatherwouldnotimprove，wehadnotadaywhenwebothcouldgoout。
Idohopebeforeverylongyouwillbeabletomanagetopayusavisit。
Timeisslippingaway，andwearegettingoldish。Dotellusaboutyourselfandallyourlargefamily。
IknowyouwillhelpmeIFYOUCANwithinformationabouttheyoungpigeons;andanyhowdowritebeforeverylong。
MydearFox，yoursincereoldfriend，C。DARWIN。
P。S。——Amongstallsortsofoddsandends，withwhichIamamusingmyself，I
amcomparingtheseedsofthevariationsofplants。Ihadformerlysomewildcabbageseeds，whichIgavetosomeone，wasittoyou？ItisaTHOUSANDtooneitwasthrownaway，ifnotIshouldbeverygladofapinchofit。
[ThefollowingextractfromalettertoMr。Fox（March27th，1855）referstothesamesubjectasthelastletter，andgivessomeaccountofthe"specieswork:""ThewayIshallkillyoungthingswillbetoputthemunderatumblerglasswithateaspoonofetherorchloroform，theglassbeingpresseddownonsomeyieldingsurface，andleavethemforanhourortwo，younghavesuchpowerofrevivication。（Ihavethuskilledmothsandbutterflies。）Thebestwaywouldbetosendthemasyouprocurethem，inpasteboardchip—boxbypost，onwhichyoucouldwriteandjusttieupwithstring;andyouwillREALLYmakemehappierbyallowingmetokeepanaccountofpostage，etc。UponmywordIcanhardlybelievethatANYONE
couldbesogood—naturedastotakesuchtroubleanddosuchaverydisagreeablethingaskillbabies;andIamverysureIdonotknowonesoulwho，exceptyourself，woulddoso。Iamgoingtoaskonethingmore;
shouldoldhensofanyabovepoultry（notduck）dieorbecomesooldastobeUSELESS，Iwishyouwouldsendhertomeperrail，addressedtoC。
Darwin，careofMr。Acton，Post—office，Bromley，Kent。"Willyoukeepthisaddress？asshortestwayforparcels。ButIdonotcaresomuchforthis，asIcouldbuytheoldbirdsdeadatBailytomakeskeletons。IshouldhavewrittenatonceevenifIhadnotheardfromyou，tobegyounottotaketroubleaboutpigeons，forYarrellhaspersuadedmetoattemptit，andIamnowfittingupaplace，andhavewrittentoBailyaboutprices，etc。，etc。SOMETIME（whenyouarebetter）Ishouldlikeverymuchtohearalittleaboutyour"LittleCallDuck";whyso—called？Andwhereyougotit？
andwhatitislike？……IwassoignorantIdonotevenknowtherewerethreevarietiesofDorkingfowl:howdotheydiffer？……
IforgetwhetherIevertoldyouwhattheobjectofmypresentworkis，——itistoviewallfactsthatIcanmaster（eheu，eheu，howignorantIfindI
am）inNaturalHistory（asongeographicaldistribution，palaeontology，classification，hybridism，domesticanimalsandplants，etc。，etc。，etc。）
toseehowfartheyfavourorareopposedtothenotionthatwildspeciesaremutableorimmutable:Imeanwithmyutmostpowertogiveallargumentsandfactsonbothsides。IhaveaNUMBERofpeoplehelpingmeineveryway，andgivingmemostvaluableassistance;butIoftendoubtwhetherthesubjectwillnotquiteoverpowerme。
Somuchforthequasi—businesspartofmyletter。Iamveryverysorrytohearsoindifferentaccountofyourhealth:withyourlargefamilyyourlifeisveryprecious，andIamsurewithallyouractivityandgoodnessitoughttobeahappyone，orashappyascanreasonablybeexpectedwithallthecaresoffuturityonone。
OnecannotexpectthepresenttobeliketheoldCrux—majordaysatthefootofthosenoblewillowstumps，thememoryofwhichIrevere。InowfindmylittleentomologywhichIwhollyowetoyou，comesinveryuseful。
IamverygladtohearthatyouhavegivenyourselfarestfromSundayduties。Howmuchillnessyouhavehadinyourlife！FarewellmydearFox。
IassureyouIthankyouheartilyforyourprofferedassistance。"]
CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
Down，May7th[1855]。
MydearFox，Mycorrespondencehascostyouadealoftrouble，thoughthisnotewillnot。IfoundyoursonmyreturnhomeonSaturdayafteraweek’sworkinLondon。WhilstthereIsawYarrell，whotoldmehehadcarefullyexaminedallpointsintheCallDuck，anddidnotfeelanydoubtaboutitbeingspecificallyidentical，andthatithadcrossedfreelywithcommonvarietiesinSt。James’sPark。Ishouldthereforebeverygladforaseven—days’ducklingandforoneoftheoldbirds，shouldoneeverdieanaturaldeath。YarrelltoldmethatSabinehadcollectedfortyvarietiesofthecommonduck！……Well，toreturntobusiness;nobody，Iamsure，couldfixbetterformethanyouthecharacteristicageoflittlechickens;withrespecttoskeletons，Ihavefeareditwouldbeimpossibletomakethem，butIsupposeIshallbeabletomeasurelimbs，etc。，byfeelingthejoints。WhatyousayaboutoldcocksjustconfirmswhatIthought，andI
willmakemyskeletonsofoldcocks。Shouldanoldwildturkeyeverdie，pleaserememberme;Idonotcareforababyturkey，norforamastiff。
Verymanythanksforyouroffer。Ihavepuppiesofbull—dogsandgreyhoundinsalt，andIhavehadcart—horseandrace—horseyoungcoltscarefullymeasured。WhetherIshalldoanygoodIdoubt。Iamgettingoutofmydepth。
Mosttrulyyours，C。DARWIN。
[AnextractfromalettertoMr。Foxmayfindaplacehere，thoughofalaterdate，viz。July，1855:
"Manythanksforthesevendays’oldwhiteDorking，andfortheotherpromisedones。Iamgettingquitea’chamberofhorrors，’Iappreciateyourkindnessevenmorethanbefore;forIhavedonetheblackdeedandmurderedanangeliclittlefantailandpouterattendaysold。Itriedchloroformandetherforthefirst，andthoughevidentlyaperfectlyeasydeath，itwasprolonged;andforthesecondItriedputtinglumpsofcyanideofpotassiuminaverylargedampbottle，halfanhourbeforeputtinginthepigeon，andtheprussicacidgasthusgeneratedwasveryquicklyfatal。"
AlettertoMr。Fox（May23rd，1855）givesthefirstmentionofmyfather’slaboriouspieceofworkonthebreedingofpigeons:
"IwritenowtosaythatIhavebeenlookingatsomeofourmongrelchickens，andIshouldsayONEWEEKOLDwoulddoverywell。ThechiefpointswhichIam，andhavebeenforyears，verycuriousabout，istoascertainwhethertheYOUNGofourdomesticbreedsdifferasmuchfromeachotherasdotheirparents，andIhavenofaithinanythingshortofactualmeasurementandtheRuleofThree。IhopeandbelieveIamnotgivingsomuchtroublewithoutamotiveofsufficientworth。Ihavegotmyfantailsandpouters（choicebirds，Ihope，asIpaid20shillingsforeachpairfromBaily）inagrandcageandpigeon—house，andtheyareadecidedamusementtome，anddelighttoH。"
Inthecourseofmyfather’spigeon—fancyingenterprisehenecessarilybecameacquaintedwithbreeders，andwasfondofrelatinghisexperiencesasamemberoftheColumbarianandPhiloperisteraClubs，wherehemetthepurestenthusiastsofthe"fancy，"andlearntmuchofthemysteriesoftheirart。InwritingtoMr。Huxleysomeyearsafterwards，hequotesfromabookon’Pigeons’byMr。J。Eaton，inillustrationofthe"extremeattentionandcloseobservation"necessarytobeagoodfancier。
"Inhis[Mr。Eaton’s]treatise，devotedtotheAlmondTumblerALONE，whichisasub—varietyoftheshort—facedvariety，whichisavarietyoftheTumbler，asthatisoftheRock—pigeon，Mr。Eatonsays:’Therearesomeoftheyoungfancierswhoareover—covetous，whogoforallthefivepropertiesatonce[i。e。，thefivecharacteristicpointswhicharemainlyattendedto，——C。D。]，theyhavetheirrewardbygettingnothing。’Inshort，itisalmostbeyondthehumanintellecttoattendtoALLtheexcellenciesoftheAlmondTumbler！
"Tobeagoodbreeder，andtosucceedinimprovinganybreed，beyondeverythingenthusiasmisrequired。Mr。Eatonhasgainedlotsofprizes，listentohim。
"’IfitwaspossiblefornoblemenandgentlementoknowtheamazingamountofsolaceandpleasurederivedfromtheAlmondTumbler，whentheybegintounderstandtheir（i。e。，thetumbler’s）properties，IshouldthinkthatscarceanynoblemanorgentlemanwouldbewithouttheiraviariesofAlmondTumblers。’"
Myfatherwasfondofquotingthispassage，andalwayswithatoneoffellow—feelingfortheauthor，though，nodoubt，hehadforgottenhisownwonderingsasachildthat"everygentlemandidnotbecomeanornithologist。"——（’Autobiography，’page32。）
ToMr。W。B。Tegetmeier，thewell—knownwriteronpoultry，etc。，hewasindebtedforconstantadviceandco—operation。Theircorrespondencebeganin1855，andlastedto1881，whenmyfatherwrote:"IcanassureyouthatIoftenlookbackwithpleasuretotheolddayswhenIattendedtopigeons，fowls，etc。，andwhenyougavemesuchvaluableassistance。InotrarelyregretthatIhavehadsolittlestrengththatIhavenotbeenabletokeepupoldacquaintancesandfriendships。"Myfather’sletterstoMr。
Tegetmeierconsistalmostentirelyofseriesofquestionsrelatingtothedifferentbreedsoffowls，pigeons，etc。，andarenot，thereforeinteresting。Inreadingthroughthepileofletters，oneismuchstruckbythediligenceofthewriter’ssearchforfacts，anditismadeclearthatMr。Tegetmeier’sknowledgeandjudgmentwerecompletelytrustedandhighlyvaluedbyhim。Numerousphrases，suchas"yournoteisamineofwealthtome，"occur，expressinghissenseofthevalueofMr。Tegetmeier’shelp，aswellaswordsexpressinghiswarmappreciationofMr。Tegetmeier’sunstintingzealandkindness，orhis"pureanddisinterestedloveofscience。"Onthesubjectofhive—beesandtheircombs，Mr。Tegetmeier’shelpwasalsovaluedbymyfather，whowrote，"yourpaperon’Bees—cells，’
readbeforetheBritishAssociation，washighlyusefulandsuggestivetome。"
ToworkouttheproblemsontheGeographicalDistributionsofanimalsandplantsonevolutionaryprinciples，hehadtostudythemeansbywhichseeds，eggs，etc。，canbetransportedacrosswidespacesofocean。Itwasthisneedwhichgaveaninteresttotheclassofexperimenttowhichthefollowinglettersallude。]
CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
Down，May17th[1855]。
MydearFox，Youwillhatetheverysightofmyhand—writing;butafterthistimeI
promiseIwillaskfornothingmore，atleastforalongtime。Asyouliveonsandysoil，haveyoulizardsatallcommon？Ifyouhave，shouldyouthinkittooridiculoustoofferarewardformeforlizard’seggstotheboysinyourschool;ashillingforeveryhalf—dozen，ormoreifrare，tillyougottwoorthreedozenandsendthemtome？Ifsnake’seggswerebroughtinmistakeitwouldbeverywell，forIwantsuchalso;andwehaveneitherlizardsnorsnakesabouthere。Myobjectistoseewhethersucheggswillfloatonseawater，andwhethertheywillkeepalivethusfloatingforamonthortwoinmycellar。IamtryingexperimentsontransportationofallorganicbeingsthatIcan;andlizardsarefoundoneveryisland，andthereforeIamveryanxioustoseewhethertheireggsstandseawater。Ofcoursethisnoteneednotbeanswered，without，byastrangeandfavourablechance，youcansomedayansweritwiththeeggs。
Yourmosttroublesomefriend，C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
April13th[1855]……Ihavehadoneexperimentsomelittletimeinprogress，whichwill，I
think，beinteresting，namely，seedsinsaltwaterimmersedinwaterof32—
33degrees，whichIhaveandshalllonghave，asIfilledagreattankwithsnow。WhenIwrotelastIwasgoingtotriumphoveryou，formyexperimenthadinaslightdegreesucceeded;butthis，withinfinitebaseness，Ididnottell，inhopesthatyouwouldsaythatyouwouldeatalltheplantswhichIcouldraiseafterimmersion。ItisveryaggravatingthatIcannotintheleastrememberwhatyoudidformerlysaythatmademethinkyouscoffedattheexperimentsvastly;foryounowseemtoviewtheexperimentlikeagoodChristian。Ihaveinsmallbottlesoutofdoors，exposedtovariationoftemperature，cress，radish，cabbages，lettuces，carrots，andcelery，andonionseed——fourgreatfamilies。These，afterimmersionforexactlyoneweek，haveallgerminated，whichIdidnotintheleastexpect（andthoughthowyouwouldsneeratme）;forthewaterofnearlyall，andofthecressespecially，smeltverybadly，andthecressseedemittedawonderfulquantityofmucus（the’Vestiges’wouldhaveexpectedthemtoturnintotadpoles），soastoadhereinamass;buttheseseedsgerminatedandgrewsplendidly。Thegerminationofall（especiallycressandlettuces）hasbeenaccelerated，exceptthecabbages，whichhavecomeupveryirregularly，andagoodmany，Ithink，dead。Onewouldhavethought，fromtheirnativehabitat，thatthecabbagewouldhavestoodwell。TheUmbelliferaeandonionsseemtostandthesaltwell。Iwashtheseedbeforeplantingthem。Ihavewrittentothe"Gardeners’Chronicle"（Afewwordsaskingforinformation。Theresultswerepublishedinthe’Gardeners’Chronicle，’May26，November24，1855。Inthesameyear（page789）hesentaP。S。tohisformerpaper，correctingamisprintandaddingafewwordsontheseedsoftheLeguminosae。Afullerpaperonthegerminationofseedsaftertreatmentinsaltwater，appearedinthe’LinnaeanSoc。Journal，’1857，page130。），thoughIdoubtwhetheritwasworthwhile。Ifmysuccessseemstomakeitworthwhile，Iwillsendaseedlist，togetyoutomarksomedifferentclassesofseeds。To—dayI
replantthesameseedsasaboveafterfourteendays’immersion。Asmanysea—currentsgoamileanhour，eveninaweektheymightbetransported168miles;theGulfStreamissaidtogofiftyandsixtymilesaday。Somuchandtoomuchonthishead;butmygeesearealwaysswans……
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
[April14th，1855。]……Youareagoodmantoconfessthatyouexpectedthecresswouldbekilledinaweek，forthisgivesmeanicelittletriumph。Thechildrenatfirstweretremendouslyeager，andaskedmeoften，"whetherIshouldbeatDr。Hooker！"Thecressandlettucehavejustvegetatedwellaftertwenty—
onedays’immersion。ButIwillwritenomore，whichisagreatvirtueinme;foritistomeaverygreatpleasuretellingyoueverythingIdo……Ifyouknewsomeoftheexperiments（iftheymaybeso—called）whichI
amtrying，youwouldhaveagoodrighttosneer，fortheyaresoABSURD
eveninMYopinionthatIdarenottellyou。
Havenotsomemenanicenotionofexperimentising？IhavehadalettertellingmethatseedsMUSThaveGREATpowerofresistingsaltwater，forotherwisehowcouldtheygettoislands？Thisisthetruewaytosolveaproblem！
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down[1855]。
MydearHooker，Youhavebeenaverygoodmantoexhalesomeofyoursatisfactioninwritingtwonotestome;youcouldnothavetakenabetterlineinmyopinion;butasforshowingyoursatisfactioninconfoundingmyexperiments，IassureyouIamquiteenoughconfounded——thosehorridseeds，which，asyoutrulyobserve，iftheysinktheywon’tfloat。
IhavewrittentoScoresbyandhavehadaratherdryanswer，butverymuchtothepurpose，andgivingmenohopesofanylawunknowntomewhichmightarresttheireverlastingdescentintothedeepestdepthsoftheocean。Bythewayitwasveryodd，butItalkedtoCol。Sabineforhalfanhouronthesubject，andcouldnotmakehimseewithrespecttotransportalthedifficultyofthesinkingquestion！Theboreis，iftheconfoundedseedswillsink，Ihavebeentakingallthistroubleinsaltingtheungratefulrascalsfornothing。
Everythinghasbeengoingwrongwithmelately;thefishattheZoologicalSocietyateuplotsofsoakedseeds，andinimaginationtheyhadinmymindbeenswallowed，fishandall，byaheron，hadbeencarriedahundredmiles，beenvoidedonthebanksofsomeotherlakeandgerminatedsplendidly，whenloandbehold，thefishejectedvehemently，andwithdisgustequaltomyown，ALLtheseedsfromtheirmouths。（IndescribingthesetroublestoMr。
Fox，myfatherwrote:——"AllnatureisperverseandwillnotdoasIwishit;andjustatpresentIwishIhadmyoldbarnaclestoworkat，andnothingnew。"Theexperimentultimatelysucceeded，andhewrotetoSirJ。
Hooker:——"Ifindfishwillgreedilyeatseedsofaquaticgrasses，andthatmillet—seedputintofishandgiventoastork，andthenvoided，willgerminate。Sothisisthenurseryrhymeof’thisisthestickthatbeatsthepig，’etc。，etc。，"）
ButIamnotgoingtogiveupthefloatingyet:infirstplaceImusttryfreshseeds，thoughofcourseitseemsfarmoreprobablethattheywillsink;andsecondly，asalastresource，Imustbelieveinthepodorevenwholeplantorbranchbeingwashedintothesea;withfloodsandslipsandearthquakes;thismustcontinuallybehappening，andifkeptwet，Ifancythepods，etc。etc。，wouldnotopenandshedtheirseeds。DotryyourMimosaseedatKew。
IhadintendedtohaveaskedyouwhethertheMimosascandensandGuilandinabonducgrowsatKew，totryfreshseeds。R。BrowntellsmehebelievesfourW。IndianseedshavebeenwashedonshoresofEurope。IwasassuredatKeelingIslandthatseedswerenotrarelywashedonshore:sofloattheymustandshall！WhatalongyarnIhavebeenspinning。
IfyouhaveseveraloftheLoffodenseeds，dosoaksomeintepidwater，andgetplantedwiththeutmostcare:thisisanexperimentaftermyownheart，withchances1000to1againstitssuccess。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down，May11th[1855]。
MydearHooker，——Ihavejustreceivedyournote。Iammostsincerelyandheartilygladatthenews（TheappointmentofSirJ。D。HookerasAssistantDirectoroftheRoyalGardensatKew。）itcontains，andsoismywife。
Thoughtheincomeisbutapoorone，yetthecertainty，Ihope，issatisfactorytoyourselfandMrs。Hooker。AsitmustleadinfutureyearstotheDirectorship，Idohopeyoulookatit，asapieceofgoodfortune。
FormyowntasteIcannotfancyapleasanterposition，thantheHeadofsuchanobleandsplendidplace;farbetter，Ishouldthink，thanaProfessorshipinagreattown。ThemoreIthinkofit，thegladderIam。
ButIwillsaynomore;exceptthatIhopeMrs。Hookerisprettywellpleased……
Asthe"Gardeners’Chronicle"putinmyquestion，andtooknoticeofit，I
thinkIamboundtosend，whichIhadthoughtofdoingnextweek，myfirstreporttoLindleytogivehimtheoptionofinsertingit;butIthinkitlikelythathemaynotthinkitfitforaGardeningperiodical。Whenmyexperimentsareended（shouldtheresultsappearworthy）andshouldthe’LinneanJournal’notobjecttothepreviouspublicationofimperfectandprovisionalreports，IshouldbeDELIGHTEDtoinsertthefinalreportthere;forithascostmesomuchtrouble，thatIshouldthinkthatprobablytheresultwasworthyofmorepermanentrecordthananewspaper;
butIthinkIamboundtosenditfirsttoLindley。
Ibegintothinkthefloatingquestionmoreseriousthanthegerminatingone;andammakingalltheinquirieswhichIcanonthesubject，andhopetogetsomelittlelightonit……
IhopeyoumanagedagoodmeetingattheClub。TheTreasurershipmustbeaplaguetoyou，andIhopeyouwillnotbeTreasurerforlong:IknowI
wouldmuchsoonergiveuptheClubthanbeitsTreasurer。
Farewell，Mr。AssistantDirectoranddearfriend，C。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
June5th，1855……MissThorley（Aladywhowasformanyyearsagovernessinthefamily。）
andIaredoingALITTLEBOTANICALWORK！forouramusement，anditdoesamusemeverymuch，viz。，makingacollectionofalltheplants，whichgrowinafield，whichhasbeenallowedtorunwasteforfifteenyears，butwhichbeforewascultivatedfromtimeimmemorial;andwearealsocollectingalltheplantsinanadjoiningandSIMILARbutcultivatedfield;
justforthefunofseeingwhatplantshavesurvivedordiedout。
Hereafterweshallwantabitofhelpinnamingpuzzlers。Howdreadfullydifficultitistonameplants。
WhataREMARKABLYniceandkindletterDr。A。Grayhassentmeinanswertomytroublesomequeries;Iretainedyourcopyofhis’Manual’tillIheardfromhim，andwhenIhaveansweredhisletter，Iwillreturnittoyou。
IthankyoumuchforHedysarum:Idohopeitisnotveryprecious，forasItoldyouitisforprobablyaMOSTfoolishpurpose。Ireadsomewherethatnoplantclosesitsleavessopromptlyindarkness，andIwanttocoveritupdailyforhalfanhour，andseeifIcanteachittoclosebyitself，ormoreeasilythanatfirstindarkness……Icannotmakeoutwhyyouwouldpreferacontinentaltransmission，asIthinkyoudo，tocarriagebysea。Ishouldhavethoughtyouwouldhavebeenpleasedatasmanymeansoftransmissionaspossible。Formyownpettheoreticnotions，itisquiteindifferentwhethertheyaretransmittedbyseaorland，aslongassometolerablyprobablewayisshown。Butitshocksmyphilosophytocreateland，withoutsomeotherandindependentevidence。Wheneverwemeet，byaveryfewwordsIshould，Ithink，moreclearlyunderstandyourviews……
Ihavejustmadeoutmyfirstgrass，hurrah！hurrah！Imustconfessthatfortunefavoursthebold，for，asgoodluckwouldhaveit，itwastheeasyAnthoxanthumodoratum:neverthelessitisagreatdiscovery;Ineverexpectedtomakeoutagrassinallmylife，sohurrah！Ithasdonemystomachsurprisinggood……
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。D。HOOKER。
Down，[June？]15th，[1855]。
MydearHooker，IjustwriteonelinetosaythattheHedysarumiscomeQUITESAFELY，andthankyouforit。
Youcannotimaginewhatamusementyouhavegivenmebynamingthosethreegrasses:Ihavejustgotpapertodryandcollectallgrasses。Ifeveryoucatchquiteabeginner，andwanttogivehimatasteofBotany，tellhimtomakeaperfectlistofsomelittlefieldorwood。BothMissThorleyandIagreethatitgivesareallyuncommoninteresttothework，havinganicelittledefiniteworldtoworkon，insteadoftheawfulabyssandimmensityofallBritishPlants。
Adios。Iwasreallyconsummatelyimpudenttoexpressmyopinion"ontheretrogradestep"（"Toimaginesuchenormousgeologicalchangeswithintheperiodoftheexistenceofnowlivingbeings，onnoothergroundbuttoaccountfortheirdistribution，seemstome，inourpresentstateofignoranceonthemeansoftransportal，analmostretrogradestepinscience。"——Extractfromthepaperon’SaltWaterandSeeds’in"Gardeners’
Chronicle"，May26，1855。），andIdeservedagoodsnub，anduponreflectionIamverygladyoudidnotanswermein"Gardeners’Chronicle"。
IhavebeenVERYMUCHinterestedwiththeFlorula。（Godron’s’FlorulaJuvenalis，’whichgivesaninterestingaccountofplantsintroducedinimportedwool。）
[WritingonJune5thtoSirJ。D。Hooker，myfathermentionsaletterfromDr。AsaGray。Theletterreferredtowasananswertothefollowing:]
CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。（Thewell—knownAmericanBotanist。Myfather’sfriendshipwithDr。Graybeganwiththecorrespondenceofwhichthepresentisthefirstletter。AnextractfromalettertoSirJ。
Hooker，1857，showsthatmyfather’sstrongpersonalregardforDr。Grayhadanearlyorigin:"IhavebeengladtoseeA。Gray’sletters;thereisalwayssomethinginthemthatshowsthatheisaverylovableman。"）
Down，April25th[1855]。
MydearSir，IhopethatyouwillrememberthatIhadthepleasureofbeingintroducedtoyouatKew。Iwanttobegagreatfavourofyou，forwhichIwellknowIcanoffernoapology。Butthefavourwillnot，Ithink，causeyoumuchtrouble，andwillgreatlyobligeme。AsIamnobotanist，itwillseemsoabsurdtoyoumyaskingbotanicalquestions;thatImaypremisethatIhaveforseveralyearsbeencollectingfactson"variation，"andwhenIfindthatanygeneralremarkseemstoholdgoodamongstanimals，ItrytotestitinPlants。[HerefollowsarequestforinformationonAmericanAlpineplants，andasuggestionastopublishingonthesubject。]IcanassureyouthatIperceivehowpresumptuousitisinme，notabotanist，tomakeeventhemosttriflingsuggestiontosuchabotanistasyourself;butfromwhatIsawandhaveheardofyoufromourdearandkindfriendHooker，I
hopeandthinkyouwillforgiveme，andbelieveme，withmuchrespect，Dearsir，yoursveryfaithfully，CHARLESDARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOASAGRAY。
Down，June8th[1855]。
MydearSir，Ithankyoucordiallyforyourremarkablykindletterofthe22d。ult。，andfortheextremelypleasantandobligingmannerinwhichyouhavetakenmyrathertroublesomequestions。IcanhardlytellyouhowmuchyourlistofAlpineplantshasinterestedme，andIcannowinsomedegreepicturetomyselftheplantsofyourAlpinesummits。TheneweditionofyourManualisCAPITALnewsforme。Iknowfromyourprefacehowpressedyouareforroom，butitwouldtakenospacetoappend（Eu）inbracketstoanyEuropeanplant，and，asfarasIamconcerned，thiswouldanswereverypurpose。
（ThissuggestionDr。Grayadoptedinsubsequenteditions。）Frommyownexperience，whilstmakingoutEnglishplantsinourmanuals，ithasoftenstruckmehowmuchinterestitwouldgiveifsomenotionoftheirrangehadbeengiven;andso，Icannotdoubt，yourAmericaninquirersandbeginnerswouldmuchliketoknowwhichoftheirplantswereindigenousandwhichEuropean。WoulditnotbewellintheAlpineplantstoappendtheverysameadditionwhichyouhavenowsentmeinMS。？thoughhere，owingtoyourkindness，Idonotspeakselfishly，butmerelyprobonoAmericanopublico。
IpresumeitwouldbetootroublesometogiveinyourmanualthehabitatsofthoseplantsfoundwestoftheRockyMountains，andlikewisethosefoundinEasternAsia，takingtheYenesei（？），——which，ifIrememberright，accordingtoGmelin，isthemainpartitionlineofSiberia。PerhapsSiberiamoreconcernsthenorthernFloraofNorthAmerica。Therangesofplantstotheeastandwest，viz。，whethermostfoundareinGreenlandandWesternEurope，orinE。Asia，appearstomeaveryinterestingpointastendingtoshowwhetherthemigrationhasbeeneastwardorwestward。PraybelievemethatIammostentirelyconsciousthattheONLYUSEoftheseremarksistoshowabotanistwhatpointsanon—botanistiscurioustolearn;forIthinkeveryonewhostudiesprofoundlyasubjectoftenbecomesunaware[on]whatpointstheignorantrequireinformation。Iamsoverygladthatyouthinkofdrawingupsomenoticeonyourgeographicaldistribution，fortheairoftheManualstrikesmeasinsomepointsbetteradaptedforcomparisonwithEuropethanthatofthewholeofNorthAmerica。