800 RETIREMENT, TO 1897 : DARWINIAN^ ETC. 



if he had not consciously taken advantage of it with his 

 eyes open to its value in weighing all evidence pro and con 

 evolution. 



If you will let me make a suggestion, it is that you alter 

 the expression ' could be considered well spent,' for eight 

 years so spent- by any other man would establish his reputa- 

 tion for all time, and whether as a discipline to your father, 

 or for its results, I cannot conceive his spending it better, 

 at that period of his career especially. 



Probably it all came out in this wise — the original idea 

 was to work out the problem of the complementary males : 

 this he told me over and over again. When once begun 

 he told me that he felt the want of training and discipline 

 in every detail of work ; he applied to me (1844-6) for 

 microscopes • and lenses and for lessons in dissecting under 

 it, for information as to the relative value of male and 

 female organs in plants, of characters afforded by buds and 

 flowers, fruits and seed, and no end of matters as to synonymy, 

 priority, and the practical details of descriptive biology. 

 We even dissected and drew together ; he all along calling 

 himself a learner in these matters of research. 



You are welcome to send this desultory scrawl to Huxley., 

 or to make any other use of it. I have been interrupted 

 over and over again, for I am writing all after page 1 on 

 New Year's Day — of which I wish you and yours many 

 returns and all good with them. 



As he goes on with his notes on his correspondence witr 

 Darwin, he exclaims : ' I am staggered at the inordinate share 

 of myself that your " Life " will contain, even if I am ever sc 

 brief.' 



The next letters speak of the meeting at the Linneai 

 Society when the joint Darwin-Wallace paper was read, anc 

 of the severe criticism passed on the Quarterly Beview of Jul} 

 1860 by Huxley in the chapter he contributed to the 'Life 

 (ii. p. 182). 



To F. Darwin 



Oct. 22, 1886. 



I was present with Lyell at the meeting. We both 

 think said something impressing the necessity of profoum I 



