i860.] 'NORTH AMERICAN REVIEW.' qq 



American Review.' It seems to me clever, and I do not 

 doubt will damage my book. I had meant to have made 

 some remarks on it ; but Lyell wished much to keep it, and 

 my head is quite confused between the many reviews which 

 I have lately read. I am sure the reviewer is wrong about 

 bees' cells, i.e. about the distance ; any lesser distance would 

 do, or even greater distance, bat then some of the places 

 would lie outside the generative spheres ; but this would 

 not add much difficulty to the work. The reviewer takes a 

 strange view of instinct : he seems to regard intelligence as 

 a developed instinct ; which I believe to be wholly false. I 

 suspect he has never much attended to instinct and the 

 minds of animals, except perhaps by reading. 



My chief object is to ask you if you could procure for me 

 a copy of the New York Times for Wednesday, March 28th. 

 It contains a very striking review of my book, which I should 

 much like to keep. How curious that the two most striking 

 reviews {i.e. yours and this) should have appeared in America. 

 This review is not really useful, but somehow is impressive. 

 There was a good review in the ' Revue des Deux Mondes,' 

 April I St, by M. Laugel, said to be a very clever man. 



Hooker, about a fortnight ago, stayed here a few days, and 

 was very pleasant ; but I think he overworks himself. What 

 a gigantic undertaking, I imagine, his and Bentham's ' Genera 

 Plantarum ' will be ! I hope he will not get too much im- 

 mersed in it, so as not to spare some time for Geographical 

 Distribution and other such questions. 



I have begun to work steadily, but very slowly as usual, at 

 details on variation under domestication. 

 My dear Gray, 



Yours always truly and gratefully, 



C. Darwin. 



C. Darwin to C. Lyell. 



Down [May 8th, i860]. 



I have sent for the 'Canadian Naturalist.' If I 



cannot procure a copy I will borrow yours. I had a letter 



