284 CHARLES CARDALE BABINGTON. [1841 



and Graham's party to the Hebrides next month. I wish that you 

 would write me a letter to give the particulars of the proposed trip, 

 such as time of starting, duration, plan, etc. A letter will find me 

 if directed here so as to arrive within the next fortnight, as although 

 I intend to visit Dingle, Cahirciveen, Kenmare, etc., still this will 

 be my head-quarters, and the last point at which I shall touch before 

 leaving Kerry. I have only been here for one-and-a-half days, and 

 so have done but little, although I am inclined to doubt about some 

 of Mackay's varieties of Saxifrage from what I have already seen. 

 I would dry a good set of them for the Society, but they take up 

 so much time and paper. Euphorbia hiberna is in great plenty here, 

 but rather past. The Trichomanes has been nearly extirpated by 

 a rascal of a gardener. I wish that I had him to duck in the lake, 

 I would keep him under until he was just not dead, and then let 

 him recover, and give him another dose. Do you think that that 

 treatment would cure him, and teach him never to do so any more ? 

 — ^Believe me, yours most truly, Charles C. Babington. 



To William Borrer, Esq. 



St. John's College, Cambridge, Nov. 12, 1841. 



My dear Sir, — From what you said in your letter I have again 

 examined the Epilobium angustifolium, but am unable to see any real: 

 distinction between the two forms. There is certainly a difference 

 in the form of the buds, but then that appears to me not to be 

 constant. The stigma may perhaps be said to differ slightly in 

 shape, but then, if my idea is correct, that would probably result 

 from the abortive state of the fruit. The leaves I think variable 

 in shape. The petals do appear to differ. I presume that Leighton 

 is not prepared to separate the two plants, or we should have heard 

 more about it before this time. Thank you for the specimens of 

 Herniaria glahu, which appear to belong to my variety /3, with slightly 

 ciliated leaves. Are they from Miss Bell 1 and what is their locality ? 

 All I know of her is that she used to be a botanical correspondent of 

 Henslow's, for the exchange of specimens, and appeared, I think, to 

 have a peculiarly rich British herbarium. I had seen Arnott's 

 account of Fumaria micrantha in the Icones, and was not at all 

 surprised at it. He and I have each of us the same means of 

 knowing Lagasca's plant, as the short account in D. C. Synt. is all 

 that is known about it, and I have in addition the negative authoritj'- 

 of Dr. Klotzsch, whom even Arnott allows to be an excellent botanist. 

 He told me that he was " quite certain " that it was not F. micrantha. 

 I have been long intending to write to him upon the subject, but 

 Berlin is a distant place. I will do so immediately. I know nothing 

 about Sowerby. Trusting that you are now quite well, — Believe 

 me, yours truly, Charles C. Babington. 



