.ET. 33.] TO JOHN TORREY. 315 



as that on food and nutrition are pretty carefully 

 written out. I have contrived a diagram illustrating 

 the cycle of relations of three kingdoms, which I think 

 is capital (as it is quite original), and which I long to 

 show you. If I had three months more, I am con- 

 vinced I could put my materials into the form of a 

 capital course of lectures. 



Zuccarini wrote me a year ago when he sent the 

 Japanese plants that we looked over together that 

 the Japanese species utterly confounded the difference 

 between Rhododendron and Azalea ; decandrous species 

 having deciduous leaves, etc. If they must come to- 

 gether (and De Candolle seems doubtful) it would be 

 a pity you did not follow that plan, as you early 

 adopted it. 



Then after all, in such case, are the Azaleas, as they 

 will ever be called in cultivation, to make the section 

 Azalea, or is A. procumbens to take that name ? . . . 



I wish you could see my Lowell anatomical illustra- 

 tions. The pity is, that I shall hardly use them in this 

 course, now that my introductory lecture only brings 

 me down to them (but I shall have them spread to 

 look at), and I can only give to the subject about 

 twenty minutes of my second lecture. 



But it is very late indeed. Adieu. 



Yours cordially, A. GRAY. 



March 1, 1844. 



Well, you have heard what I had to say about my 

 introductory lecture. I was satisfied. I said plainly 

 what I intended to say and delivered it not very well 

 indeed, but well enough to satisfy me that I could do 

 well with practice. This evening I have made a second 

 trial, and a more trying one by far. I have a cold 



