A DAEWINIAN BOTANY BOOK 535 



He was well embarked on the vast undertaking of the Genera 

 Plantarum with Bentham. And in March he tells Henslow : 



Murray and others are very anxious, I understand, that 

 I should bring out a Darwinian book on Botany — a sort of 

 elementary book on Classification, Distribution, and origin 

 of species. I am dubious and considering. I think I could 

 make it a good instructional one with woodcuts illustrating 

 all sorts of transitional forms, independent of all theory. 



This was the work referred to by Darwin (March 12, 1860) 

 apropos of a visit from the Lyells. 



We talked over your Essays and agreed about the 

 Book which you ought to make. What fine materials in 

 all combined, including, as Lyell remarked, the Galapagos 

 papers ! But I see in the Gardeners' Chronicle that you have 

 started on a gigantic task with Bentham. 



And again, July 12 : 



I have been thinking about your Book, and the more 

 I think of it the more awfully difficult it seems, and there- 

 fore the more worthy of your attempting. One of the first 

 points which seems naturally to occur is difference between 

 plant and animal ! and then, as I suppose, you will allude 

 to unicellular plants, what makes an individual ! And 

 thirdly the difference between propagation by germination 

 and sexual generation ! Nice little simple subjects to 

 discuss ! 



The work in hand was sufficient, however, to keep him from 

 this Darwinian Botany book. His friends, too, noticed that 

 he looked overworked, and Darwin added one of his solicitous 

 warnings. Accordingly he turned over a new leaf, and tells 

 Darwin (December 2 ?) : 



I have taken up the Genera Plantarum with Bentham 

 in earnest, and am going to mend my ways now and for 

 ever : giving up all Societies but the Linnean, and every 

 unnecessary excitement, keep early hours, cut off all 

 correspondents (except those I love) with short letters — eat 

 well, walk a good deal in the garden, and avoid all occasions 

 of sin. I have not had a headache for three months now ! 



