JST. 75.] TO J. D. HOOKER. 785 



TO J. D. DANA. 

 BOTANIC GARDEN, CAMBRIDGE, MASS., September 20, 1886. 



MY DEAR DANA, Well ! " the books " have just 

 come. 



I suppose you are in no hurry for notices of them, 

 and would prefer short ones. . . . 



I rather like to do such things incog., as in the 

 " Nation," in which I sometimes take a shot at this 

 or that. 



I and wife are well, very. 



Had a week in Old Oneida, which still looks 

 natural. I am grinding away at " Flora," and prob- 

 ably shall be found so doing when I am called for. 



Very well ! I have a most comfortable and happy 

 old age. Wishing you the same, 



Yours ever, A. GRAY. 



TO J. D. HOOKER. 



CAMBRIDGE, September 15, 1886. 



. . . Has Ball returned to England ? If so, please 

 tell him that he promised to look up in Dublin, and 

 give from his own knowledge, some details of Coulter's 

 life. Alphonse de Candolle has sent me copies of 

 what letters he has, and they enable me to trace 

 Coulter's movements and whereabouts, which is help- 

 ful. 



Old Goldie, l your father's correspondent lang 

 syne, died only this summer, very old. 



My last bit of work was upon our Portulacaceae 

 for my "Flora." The genera are thin. It is as much 

 as one can do to keep up Montia (though if that fails 



1 John Goldie, 1793-1886. Traveled in North America, 1817 to 

 1820, collecting plants. After his return to Scotland emigrated to 

 Ayr, Ontario, 1844, where he died. 



