3O2 EVOLUTION [CHAP. IV 



Letter 220 though, of course, the mystery of life and consciousness 

 remains as great as ever. 



Parts of the chapter on pangenesis I found hard reading, 

 and have not quite mastered yet, and there are also through- 

 out the discussions in Vol. II. many bits of hard reading, 

 on minute points which we, who have not worked experi- 

 mentally at cultivation and crossing, as you have done, can 

 hardly see the importance of, or their bearing on the general 

 question. 



If I am asked, I may perhaps write an article on the book 

 for some periodical, and, if so, shall do what I can to make 

 " Pangenesis " appreciated. . . . 



In Nature, May 25th, 1871, p. 69, appeared a letter on pangenesis 

 from Mr. A. C. Ranyard, dealing with the difficulty that the "sexual 

 elements produced upon the scion " have not been shown to be affected 

 by the stock. Mr. Darwin, in an annotated copy of this letter, disputes 

 the accuracy of the statement, but adds : " The best objection yet raised." 

 He seems not to have used Mr. Ranyard's remarks in the 2nd edit, of 

 the Variation of Animals and Plants, 1875. 



Letter 221 To J. D. Hooker. 



Down, May 2 1st [1868]. 



I know that you have been overworking yourself, and 

 that makes you think that you are doing nothing in science. 

 If this is the case (which I do not believe), your intellect has 

 all run to letter-writing, for I never in all my life received a 

 pleasanter one than your last. It greatly amused us all. 

 How dreadfully severe you are on the Duke 1 : I really think 

 too severe, but then I am no fair judge, for a Duke, in 

 my eyes, is no common mortal, and not to be judged by 

 common rules ! I pity you from the bottom of my soul about 

 the address : 2 it makes my flesh creep ; but when I pitied you 

 to Huxley, he would not join at all, and would only say that 

 you did and delivered your Insular Flora lecture so admir- 

 ably in every way that he would not bestow any pity on you. 

 He felt certain that you would keep your head high up. 



1 The late Duke of Argyll, whose Reign of Law Sir J. D. Hooker 

 had been reading. 



3 Sir Joseph was President of the British Association at Norwich in 

 1868: see Life and Letters, III., p. 100. The reference to "Insular 

 Floras " is to Sir Joseph's lecture at the Nottingham meeting of the 

 British Association in 1866: see Life and Letters, III., p. 47. 



