530 CHARLES CARDALE BABINGTON. [1858—59 



me when asking Mr. Lucas to dry some specimens of the Gladiolus : 

 who is he, and where does he live? The Epilohia puzzle me exceed- 

 ingly ; for, really, I can see no difference between the growing 

 plants of ligulatum and ohscurum. The top of the stem does not 

 nod with me except with accidental causes, and then quite in a 

 different manner from the state seen in palustre. I cannot avoid the 

 fancy that the plants called ligulatum are not constant either in that 

 or the runners. The seeds of my plant of ligulatum resemble those 

 •of ohscurum, except in being rather longer ; they are not at all like 

 those of palustre. I am sorry to learn from Stratton that he has not 

 got Cornus suecica ; I forgot to ask about the Marsilm. I must delay 

 sending the living Batrachians until I can go a few miles into the 

 country to get Drouetii ; for the lot which I brought in lately has 

 been eaten up by water-snails, or otherwise destroyed. Peltatus, 

 confusus, and caenosus are growing in my rooms. Stratton and I 

 would be very glad of a bulb of the Gladiolus, if Mr. Lucas could 

 let us have one to grow in our Garden. — Yours most truly, Charles 

 C. Babington. 



I am sorry that I have not a better set of specimens of Batrachians 

 to send. These are the best that I can get. 



To the Rev. T. A. Preston, The College, Marlborough. 



Cambridge, Feb. 23, 1858. 



Dear Preston, — I am desired to thank you for what you have 

 done for the Insect Collection, in the name of the Philosophical 

 Society. I have also written letters of thanks to the men mentioned 

 in your letter to me, in the name of the Society. — Yours truly, 

 Charles C. Babington. 



To A. G. More, Esq., Bemhridge, Isle of Wight. 



Cambridge, May 4, 1859. 



Dear More, — I have mislaid your letter which accompanied the 

 " Catalogue." It ought now to be the business of the botanists of 

 your Isle to fill up the vacancies in the herbarium, so as to make it 

 complete for the district. I am surprised to see that there are so 

 many plants wanting. I have been sorry not to be able to visit 

 the island, as you so kindly wished. But it could not be. You 

 should dry a few good specimens of Arum italicum this season, so 

 as to be able to place a complete set in the Linnaean Society's 

 Herbarium. Newbould and I much want to see the petals of 

 Cerastia, especially of semidecandrum, tetrandrum, and pumilum. I 

 have C. pumilum growing from seeds produced by Townsend's 

 plants last year, and so hope to be able to see its petals again in 

 due time. C. tetrandrum we have no chance of, and C. pumilum is 



