1844—1858] INSULAR FLORAS 6$ 



He would be a capital man to tell you what is known about Letter 27 

 Indian Zoology, at least in the Vertebrata. He is a very 

 clever, odd, wild fellow, who will never do what he could do, 

 from not sticking to any one subject. By the way, if you should 

 see him at any time, try not to forget to remember me very 

 kindly to him ; I liked all I saw of him. Your letter was the 

 very one to charm me, with all its facts for my Species-book, 

 and truly obliged I am for so kind a remembrance of mc. Do 

 not forget to make enquiries about the origin, even if only 

 traditionally known, of any varieties of domestic quadrupeds, 

 birds, silkworms, etc. Are there domestic bees ? if so hives 

 ought to be brought home. Of all the facts you mention, 

 that of the wild [illegible], when breeding with the domestic, 

 producing offspring somewhat sterile, is the most surprising : 

 surely they must be different species. Most zoologists would 

 absolutely disbelieve such a statement, and consider the result 

 as a proof that they were distinct species. I do not go so far 

 as that, but the case seems highly improbable. Blyth has 

 studied the Indian Ruminantia. I have been much struck 

 about what you say of lowland plants ascending mountains, 

 but the alpine not descending. How I do hope you will get 

 up some mountains in Borneo ; how curious the result will be ! 

 By the way, I never heard from you what affinity the Maldive 

 flora has, which is cruel, as you tempted me by making me 

 guess. I sometimes groan over your Indian journey, when 

 I think over all your locked up riches. When shall I see 

 a memoir on Insular floras, and on the Pacific ? What a 

 grand subject Alpine floras of the world l would be, as far as 

 known ; and then you have never given a coup d'ceil on the 

 similarity and dissimilarity of Arctic and Antarctic floras. 

 Well, thank heavens, when you do come back you will be 

 nolens volens a fixture. I am particularly glad you have been 

 at the Coal ; I have often since you went gone on maunder- 

 ing on the subject, and I shall never rest easy in Down 



at the time of his death in the Field. Mr. Grote's Memoir contains a 

 list of Blyth's writings which occupies nearly seven pages of the Journal, 

 We are indebted to Professor Newton for calling our attention to the 

 sources of this note. 



1 Mr. William Botting Hemsley, F.R.S., of the Royal Gardens, Kew, 

 is now engaged on a monograph of the high-level Alpine plants of 

 the world. 



