146 THE COMING [CH. 



with plants and such things/ and undoubtedly derived 

 the greatest pleasure from his ingenious experimental 

 researches. The result of this ' play ' in which Darwin 

 took such delight is seen in his books on the Power 

 of Movement in Plants and Insectivorous Plants ; 

 full of the records of ingenious experiments and 

 patient observation. 



It was a great relief to Darwin that his friend 

 Wallace was able in 1871 to undertake the prepara- 

 tion of a work on The Geographical Distribution of 

 Animals, for, on many points, the views held by 

 Wallace on this subject were more in accordance 

 with Darwin's own, than were those of Lyell and 

 Hooker. Nevertheless, on all questions connected 

 with the geographical distribution of plants, and the 

 causes by which they were brought about, Darwin 

 always expressed the fullest confidence in Hooker's 

 judgment, and the greatest satisfaction with his 

 results. 



With regard to another great division of his work, 

 that dealing with the imperfection, but yet great 

 value, of the geological record, Darwin was always 

 anxious, when I met him, to learn of any new dis- 

 coveries. But he felt that he had done all that was 

 possible in his outline of the subject in the Origin, 

 and that he must leave to palaeontologists all over 

 the world the filling in of these outlines. So great 

 was the delight with which he used to hear of new 



