192 LETTERS TO MARCO xxvm 



plant, however, often dies away under cultiva- 

 tion in a garden, becoming enervated and 

 exhausted in some way after a bit. 



You know that all animals assume some 

 sort of change in their clothing as winter 

 approaches, casting it off again when summer 

 returns. I heard of rather a curious circum- 

 stance as to this from a gentleman at New- 

 bury, who told me he had had a present of a 

 horse and a dog sent him from Australia. 

 They arrived in England in the middle of our 

 summer, and both had on their winter coats, 

 which they had just put on when they left 

 Australia. The horse very soon shed his 

 coat, and as winter came on grew another; 

 but the poor dog never shed his until his 

 usual time in November, in consequence 

 of which he took cold and died in the 

 winter. 



My seedling teasels are quite curious in 

 their manner of sturdy growth. Just now 

 they are apparently at rest, but the tight hold 

 they keep of the patches of soil they require 



