100 THE UNFINISHED BOOK. [1857. 



enclosed, and all round the clumps nice young trees are 

 springing up by the million, looking exactly as if planted, so 

 many are of the same age. In other parts of the common, not 

 yet enclosed, I looked for miles and not one young tree could 

 be seen. I then went near (within quarter of a mile of the 

 clumps) and looked closely in the heather, and there I found 

 tens of thousands of young Scotch firs (thirty in one square 

 yard) with their tops nibbled off by the few cattle which 

 occasionally roam over these wretched heaths. One little tree, 

 three inches high, by the rings appeared to be twenty-six years 

 old, with a short stem about as thick as a stick of sealing-wax. 

 What a wondrous problem it is, what a play of forces, determi- 

 ning the kind and proportion of each plant in a square yard 

 of turf ! It is to my mind truly wonderful. And yet we are 

 pleased to wonder when some animal or plant becomes 

 extinct. 



I am so sorry that you will not be at the Club. I see Mrs. 

 Hooker is going to Yarmouth ; I trust that the health of your 

 children is not the motive. Good-bye. 



My dear Hooker, ever yours, 



C. Darwin. 



P.S. I believe you are afraid to send me a ripe Edwardsia 

 pod, for fear I should float it from New Zealand to Chile ! ! ! 



C. Darwin to jf. D. Hooker. 



Down, June 5 [1857]. 

 My DEAR HOOKER, I honour your conscientious care 

 about the medals.* Thank God ! I am only an amateur (but 

 a much interested one) on the subject. 



It is an old notion of mine that more good is done by giving 

 medals to younger men in the early part of their career, than as 

 a mere reward to men whose scientific career is nearly finished. 

 Whether medals ever do any good is a question which does 



* The Royal Society's medals. 



