308 MEMOIR OF 
Muscologia Britannica, who have so often named 
him as one of their safest authorities in the more 
difficult articles of their celebrated work. 
It does not appear that Hobson himself received 
much assistance from books, in the publication of 
his Musci Britannici, but he derived important 
aid from eminent botanists, who furnished him 
with specimens, which he could not procure in 
his own neighbourhood. 
That he was equally liberal to others engaged 
in similar pursuits, will be seen by the following 
letter to him from Dr. Taylor, dated the 10th of 
Sept., 1815, in which the Doctor acknowledges 
the receipt of some rare and valuable plants, in 
the following terms :—‘‘You will be surprised, 
my dear sir, at my desiring to have so many spe- 
cimens of those things which you find in your 
neighbourhood, and which appear to me rare, but 
the fact is, that only thus can the science of botany 
be rapidly progressive, more certainly being to 
be learned from specimens than from the very 
best plates with the very best descriptions. The 
winter and early spring are approaching, the 
season for mosses, when I trust you will favour 
me with some specimens.” 
