176 LIFE OF SIR JOHN LUBBOCK on. 



ment which he chiefly favoured, and on Friday 

 he gave in it a most interesting account on the 

 manner in which the seed of a certain grass, the 

 Stipa, buries itself in the ground." 



Probably, however, the encomium which gave 

 Sir John most satisfaction of all was the following 

 from him, whom he ever piously regarded as 

 his father in science, Charles Darwin. We may 

 all echo one sentence of that great man's letter, 

 " How on earth you find time is a mystery." 



Down, Beckenham, Kent, 



August 2nd, 1881. 



My dear Lubbock — I have read with pleasure your 

 Address. You have piled honours high on my head. 



I have scribbled such thoughts and remarks, as would 

 have occurred to me if I had read your Address when 

 published. I fear that this will be of little or no use to 

 you, except perhaps, in one or two cases, by leading you 

 to make further enquiry. 



I had put a pamphlet on one side for you, as I think 

 that you would like some time to read it, and it has 

 occurred to me that from this excellent rSsumS of Dr. 

 Adler's work (which, no doubt, you have read) you 

 might easily make a short abstract for your Address, 

 for I think that parthenogenesis deserves special notice 

 in recent scientific work. 



I have torn out a page for you to illustrate and 

 strengthen what you say about inoculation. 



My suggestions and criticisms are poor affairs, but they 

 are the best which I could send. 



This Address must have cost you much labour, and I 

 congratulate you on its virtual completion. How on 

 earth you find time is a mystery to me. — Yours very 

 sincerely, Ch. Darwin. 



In the afternoon of the first day of the Associa- 

 tion's meeting he had walked to the Cathedral 

 with Huxley. At the entrance they met Professor 

 Henry J. Smith, who put up his hands with a look 

 of mock surprise. " Ah," said Huxley, " you did 



