Mrs. F. W. Barhrr. 99 



also greatly indebted. Long known to European Botanists for her 

 attainments and discoveries in regard to the Flora of the Cape, 

 this lady had a wide acquaintance with South African Natural 

 History generally, and in l.SOH turned her attention specially to 

 Lejiidontera. With characteristic generosity — knowing that I was 

 bringing out a 1)ook on the subject — Mrs. Barber offered me the 

 fullest aid, and constantly since then have her net, pen and 

 artistic pencil been actively engaged in furtherance of my work. 

 Of special value have proved hei- graphic accounts of the habits 

 and stations of the butterflies of the Eastern Districts of Cape 

 Colony, where she has chiefly resided and her coloured drawings 

 of larvae and pupae, some of which are reproduced in Plates I and 

 II of this volume." — 



Harvey in the "Thesaurus Capensis" (Vol. I p. 24) in dedicat- 

 ing the genus Bowkeria to her and her brother states that she has 

 contributed largely to our knowledge of the plants of the Eastern 

 Province. In a footnote he adds the following. " In one of Mrs. 

 Barber's recent letters she writes : " I am one of your converts : 

 it is to you that I owe the existence of my hobby, for I nevjer 

 should have known anything of botany had I not, b}' mere chance, 

 seen a copy of your 'Genera of South African Plants,' with the 

 introduction to Botany at the beginning of it. This volume I 

 l)orrowed, and hence commenced some of the happiest days of ni}' 

 life : for in all places, and at all times, in peace and in war, botany 

 has been one of my greatest i)leasures : and often, when we have 

 been driven away from our homes, and had them burned l)y 

 savages, and have had nothing to shelter us' but a waggon for 

 months together, then Ijotany has been my sovereign remedy to 

 tli-ive away care. And often my two little boys would say : — 

 'Mamma, shall we ask ])apa to have the waggon insjjannetl to go 

 U) another })lace, for there are no more new wild Howers here ? 

 So you see, anything I can do to assist you, by collecting plants, 

 is only repaying the del)t of gratitude, I owe you for value 

 received.' "' " I trust," Harvey continues, " I violate no con- 

 fidence in thus printing part of a lady's letter, which 1 

 do, because it happily illustrates the power of botany to 

 afford interesting amvisement and occupation when shut 

 out from society and from ordinary i)ursuits. How numy un- 

 employed hours of a forced oi* voluntary bush life are tediously 

 spent, which miglit be pleasantly und usefully filletl uj), if tlic 

 mind were imijued with Natural History tiustes ! When the 

 observing faculties have been once aroused and directed to natural 



