226 DARWIN'S LETTERS TO R. TRIMEN 



are thus dragged over the stigmas. R. Brown's paper 

 has beautiful illustrations. This is a disjointed, dull 

 letter, but I have been working all day with very little 

 strength. 



With every good wish and sincere thanks 

 Pray believe me 



My dear Sir 



Yours sincerely 



CH DARWIN 



5. 



Nov. 25 [1863] 



DOWN. 



BROMLEY. 



KENT. S.E. 

 MY DEAR SIR 



I have been laid on the shelf for nearly three 

 months, and am ordered to do nothing for 6 months by 

 my doctors. To write this is against rules. Many 

 thanks for specimens of orchids and for your kind letter. 



1 dare not look at Oxalis flowers. I regret much that 

 you cannot get seed, especially of your trimorphic 

 flowers. 1 Most species of Oxalis shed their seed by 

 a spurt and the capsules are sensitive to a touch. 

 Could you employ anyone to dig up the bulbs of the 



2 or 3 forms and allow me to pay ; i. e. if they are bulb- 

 bearers. 



The last job I began and broke down was a letter 



hold of Asclepiad flowers in North America, and how frequently 

 their tarsi were bristling with pollen-masses. On one occasion 

 I found a dead humble-bee held fast by the flower. 



1 In answer to Darwin's inquiries Trimen informed him that he 

 had found trimorphic heterostyled species of Oxalis, and sent draw- 

 ings and dried specimens. Darwin referred to this information 

 and material in The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the 

 same Species (1877), 169. Trimen's name is accidentally omitted 

 from the index of this work. 



