BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 149 



sport would a true species-maker find here, among the Scitaminece, the 

 smaller Scrophitlarinece, and even the Palms ! to say nothing of the 

 Ferns. Melastoma Malabathrica is good, I think, for twenty species at 

 least, and some one or two Mepltitidice for nearly as many. I have, at 

 this particular station, some beautiful opportunities of studying- these 

 variations, from the great varieties of soil, from salt-marshes, through 

 freshwater-marshes, gravel, coal-rocks, green-stone, and metamorphosed 

 coal-rocks, up to the great range of serpentine hills which bound oitf 

 coal-field. I have particularly observed the marked effect of this last 

 soil (serpentine) upon the colour of flowers : a very great number of 

 plants, having red or purple flowers, become pale or white on the ser- 

 pentine. This is so marked with some species that I have never seen 

 them white on other soils or red on the serpentine. Such is the case 

 with a little Impatiens, an Ardisia, and a minute papilionaceous plant, 

 whose name I do not know, but of all which you will receive speci- 

 mens. Of Melastoma Malabath?ica I send you specimens, in its ser- 

 pentine state ; it is strangely altered, if indeed it be the same, which 

 I believe, because I have seen some intermediate states; it is reduced 

 from a tall shrub to what gardeners call an alpine, of five or six inches 

 high, with smaller leaves and much larger flowers ; and the fruit, in- 

 stead of being purple, is greenish-yellow : you will receive specimens 

 of it. Among the Cruciatce also I believe you will find several of 

 my plants, which belong to one species only; but I have not 

 been very willing to admit them into my collection as yet, because I 

 should like to have the true species first. I am now very fast filling 

 up the twelfth hundred, and I hope soon to send them off to you. 

 From No. 1000 to No. 1100 you will find imperfect, but up to 1000 

 the series is perfect. One or more specimens are for you, numbered 

 to correspond with what I retain here, so that 1 shall be able to iden- 

 tify them by the numbers whenever you have time enough to give me 

 a list of the names. The eleventh hundred I kept as a receptacle for 

 unique or imperfect specimens, until I could get others ; so, many of the 

 numbers I cannot fill up for you at present. Of nearly all the Orchidece, 

 Fici y Hoyacece, and many others, you will also receive little bits in 

 spirits. 



I believe I have hit at last upon the right way of drying succulent 

 plants, and such as are apt to come to pieces; and if nobody has 

 thought of it before, it is really worth telling you. I had previously 

 tried hot water, but that made the specimens mouldy ; then a hot iron, 



