i855.] COLLECTING PLANTS. 419 



would have it, it was the easy Atithoxanthum odoratum : never- 

 theless it is a great discovery ; I never expected to make out 

 a grass in all my life, so hurrah ! It has done my stomach 

 surprising good. . . . 



C. Darwin to J. D. Hooker. 



Down, [June?] 15th, [1855]. 



My dear Hooker, — I just write one line to say that the 

 Hedysarum is come quite safely, and thank you for it. 



You cannot imagine what amusement you have given 

 me by naming those three grasses : I have just got paper 

 to dry and collect all grasses. If ever you catch quite a 

 beginner, and want to give him a taste of Botany, tell 

 him to make a perfect list of some little field or wood. Both 

 Miss Thorley and I agree that it gives a really uncommon 

 interest to the work, having a nice little definite world to 

 work on, instead of the awful abyss and immensity of all 

 British Plants. 



Adios. I was really consummately impudent to express 

 my opinion " on the retrograde step," * and I deserved a good 

 snub, and upon reflection I am very glad you did not answer 

 me in Gardeners' Chro::icle. 



I have been very much interested with the Florula.f 



[Writing on Juns 5th to Sir J. D. Hooker, my father men- 

 tions a letter from Dr. Asa Gray. The letter referred to v/as 

 an answer to the following :] 



* " To imagine such enormous geological changes within the period of 

 the existence of now living beings, on no other ground but to account for 

 their distribution, seems to me, in our present state of ignorance on the 

 means of transportal, an almost retrograde step in science." — Extract from 

 the paper on 'Salt Water and Seeds' in Gardenejs' Chronicle, May 26, 



1855- 



f Godron's ' Florula Juvenalis,' which gives an interesting account of 

 plants introduced in imported w^^i 



