356 A DECADE OF WORK AT HOME. [1848, 



than south of Santa Fe. New Spain and Rocky 

 Mountain botany is far more interesting to us than 

 Mexican. 



TO JOHN TOBBEY. 



March 29, 1848. 



Your parcel came to-day ; many thanks. After 

 dinner I have just looked over the Mexican Com- 

 positae of Gregg, 1 which are numerous, and quite a 

 bonne bouche. My old love of the dear pappose crea- 

 tures revived at the sight, and I longed to take them 

 by the beard. If at liberty to do so (am I ?) I think 

 I will, at the same time I do the Santa-Feans ; and at 

 the same time I will study any of Abert's or Emory's 

 Mexican or North Spain Compositae you have not 

 already disposed of. As to the parcel to be divided, 

 of which there are no duplicates, whoever packed your 

 parcel has taken care that there shall be pieces enough, 

 if no specimens ! They were in longer paper than the 

 other bundles ; not protected by binder's board, and 

 therefore both ends, for two or three inches, were nicely 

 bent up against the ends of the shorter bundle next 

 them ; which was very pretty for the shape of the 

 parcel, but death to many of the plants ; for the fold 

 came just below the heads in most cases, too many of 

 which were decapitated like the victims of the (last 

 but two) French revolution. 



I have been going on with recitations for some 

 time, twice a week (two hours), and to-day I began 

 my lectures to the whole Junior class, on Geographi- 

 cal Botany for the present. 



1 Josiah Gregg, died in California, 1850 ; made excellent collec- 

 tions in Chihuahua and in the Valley of the Rio Grande. Author of 

 the Commerce of the Prairies. 



