i860.] on plants OF THE SAME SPECIES.' 473 



grained pollen * are rather more fertile than those with long 

 pistils, and small-grained pollen. I find that they require the 

 action of insects to set them, and 1 never will beHeve that 

 these differences are without some meaning. 



Some of my experiments lead me to suspect that the large- 

 grained pollen suits the long pistils and the small-grained 

 pollen suits the short pistils ; but I am. determined to see if I 

 cannot make out the mystery next spring. 



How does your book on plants brew in your mind ? Have 

 you begun it ? . . . . 



Remember me most kindly to Oliver. He must be 

 astonished at not having a string of questions, I fear he will 

 get out of practice ! 



[The Primula-work was finished in the autumn of-i86i, 

 and on Nov. 8th he wrote to Sir J. D. Hooker : — 



" I have sent my paper on dimorphism in Primula to the 

 Linn. Soc. I shall go up and read it whenever it comes on ; 

 I hope you may be able to attend, for I do not suppose many 

 will care a penny for the subject." 



With regard to the reading of the paper (on Nov. 21st), he 

 wrote to the same friend : — 



"I by no means thought that I produced a ''tremendous 

 effect " in the Linn. Soc, but by Jove the Linn. Soc. pro- 

 duced a tremendous effect on me, for I could not get out of 

 bed till late next evening, so that I just crawled home. I 

 fear I must give up trying to read any paper or speak ; it is 

 a horrid bore, I can do nothing like other people." 



To Dr. Gray he wrote, (Dec. 1861) : — 



*' You may rely on it, I will send you a copy of my Primula 

 paper as soon as I can get one ; but I believe it will not be 

 printed till April ist, and therefore after my Orchid Book. 1 

 care more for your and Hooker's opinion than for that of all 

 the rest of the world, and for Lyell's on geological points. 

 Bentham and Hooker thought well of my paper when read ; 



* Thus the plants which he imagined to be tending towards a male 

 condition were more productive than the supposed females. 



