106 DR J. D. HOOKER. [1857-58. 



J. Prestwich to J. Evans. LONDON, Oct. 24/57. 



MY DEAR SIR, Elephants appear to have been common at 

 Bedford in former days. Last year, or the year before, the bones 

 apparently of a whole herd were found in the railway cutting a 

 few miles north of the town. I have that place in view for a 

 trip next season, and shall be glad if we can manage it together. 

 With kind regards to Mrs Evans, I am ever truly yours, 



Jos. PRESTWICH. 



My trip to the Alps is still in nubibus, as probably the Alps 

 themselves now are. 



Dr J. D. Hooker to J. Prestwicli. KEW, Sunday [1857]. 



DEAR MR PRESTWICH, I am very much obliged for your in- 

 teresting, and to me most instructive, lectures to the Clapham 

 Athenaeum. 



I have had the Reading leaves in my mind very often, and 

 saw Dr De la Harpe when he was here. He failed in persuading 

 me of the correctness of his views, from what in such cases is 

 too much the inevitable cause, namely, the preoccupation of my 

 mind with my own conclusions ! 



I cannot see even a probability (much less an evidence) of any 

 of the leaves being referable to laurels, Sapindacese, Eugenias, 

 Rhus, and Cassia, all of which Dr De la Harpe does not seem to 

 regard as tropical families, which they most eminently are. It is 

 true that some species of each are extra-tropical, but plenty of 

 species of the European trees (amongst which I would prefer to 

 seek analogues for the Eeading leaves) are also subtropical and 

 tropical. 



No. 51 of your woodcuts can have nothing to do with Rhus, 

 though as species of Rhus have both simple and compound leaves 

 of all shapes and many varieties of nervation and texture, it 

 would be difficult to find a looser or less tangible affinity. 



With regard to 52, which he refers to fig or mulberry, it would 

 be difficult to find a leaf that could not be compared with some 

 fig or other of the 200 or 300 known species of that genus ; 

 and as figs are eminently tropical and mulberries temperate 

 plants, nothing could be more vague than such an identification. 



