54 GEOBGE JOHN BOMANES 1876- 



from the inscription in Hackel's essay, that he is still 

 doing his best to show that in Germany this angle is 

 fast being lost in horizontality. 



As the spring was so backward, the plants at Kew 

 were too small to graft before I had to leave for the 

 Medusae. But this does not much matter, as I had 

 a lot of vegetables planted down here also, which are 

 doing well. Pangenesis I always expected would 

 require a good deal of patience, and one year's work 

 on such a subject only counts for apprenticeship. If, 

 by the time I am a skilled workman, I am not able 

 to send anything to the international exhibitions, I 

 shall not envy any one else who may resolve to enter 

 the same trade. 



I am working hard at the jelly-fish just now, and 

 have succeeded in extracting several new confessions. 

 The nerve-plexus theory, in particular, is coming out 

 with greater clearness. The new poisons, too, are 

 giving very interesting results. I suppose you do 

 not happen to know where I could get any snake 

 poison. The ' Phil. Trans.' seem very long in coming 

 out. I have not yet got the proofs of my paper. 



June 6, 1877. 



I am very glad you sent me the extract from 

 Lamarck, for I had just been to the E.S., hunting 

 up several of the older authors to see whether any 

 mention had been made of the theory before Spencer 

 wrote. 



While at Down I forgot my speculations about 

 inter-crossing, and, therefore, although I do not 



