1 85 5.] COLLECTING PLANTS. 59 



precious, for as I told you it is for probably a most foolish 

 purpose. I read somewhere that no plant closes its leaves 

 so promptly in darkness, and I want to cover it up daily for 

 half an hour, and see if I can teach it to close by itself, or 



more easily than at first in darkness I cannot make 



out why you would prefer a continental transmission, as I 

 think you do, to carriage by sea. I should have thought you 

 would have been pleased at as many means of transmission 

 as possible. For my own pet theoretic notions, it is quite 

 indifferent whether they are transmitted by sea or land, as 

 long as some tolerably probable way is shown. But it shocks 

 my philosophy to create land, without some other and inde- 

 pendent evidence. Whenever we meet, by a very few words 

 I should, I think, more clearly understand your views. . . . 



I have just made out my first grass, hurrah ! hurrah ! I 

 must confess that fortune favours the bold, for, as good luck 

 would have it, it was the easy A nthoxanthum odoratum : 

 nevertheless it is a great discovery ; I never expected to 

 make out a grass in all my life, so hurrah ! It has done my 

 stomach surprising good. . . . 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



Down, [June?] 15th, [1855]. 



My dear Hooker, I just write one line to say that the 

 Hedysarum is come quite safely, and thank you for it. 



You cannot imagine what amusement you have given me 

 by naming those three grasses : I have just got paper to dry 

 and collect all grasses. If ever you catch quite a beginner, 

 and want to give him a taste for Botany, tell him to make 

 a perfect list of some little field or wood. Both Miss Thorley 

 and I agree that it gives a really uncommon interest to the 

 work, having a nice little definite world to work on, instead of 

 the awful abyss and immensity of all British Plants. 



Adios. I was really consummately impudent to express 



