1874.] OF FLOWERS. 283 



Lastly, permit me to thank you for your very generous 

 remarks on my works. By placing what I have been able to 

 do on this subject in systematic order, you have made me 

 think more highly of my own work than I ever did before ! 

 Nevertheless, I fear that you have done me more than justice. 

 I remain, dear Sir, yours faithfully and obliged, 



CHARLES DARWIN. 



[The letter which follows was called forth by Dr. Gray's 

 article in ' Nature/ to which reference has already been made, 

 and which appeared June 4, 1874 :] 



C. Darwin to Asa Gray. 



Down, June 3 [1874]. 



MY DEAR GRAY, I was rejoiced to see your handwriting 

 again in your note of the 4th, of which more anon, I was 

 astonished to see announced about a week ago that you were 

 going to write in ' Nature ' an article on me, and this morning 

 I received an advance copy. It is the grandest thing ever 

 written about me, especially as coming from a man like 

 yourself. It has deeply pleased me, particularly some of 

 your side remarks. It is a wonderful thing to me to live to 

 see my name coupled in any fashion with that of Robert 

 Brown. But you are a bold man, for I am sure that you 

 will be sneered at by not a few botanists. I have never been 

 so honoured before, and I hope it will do me good and make 

 me try to be as careful as possible ; and good heavens, how 

 difficult accuracy is ! I feel a very proud man, but I hope 

 this won't last. . . . 



[Fritz Muller has observed that the flowers of Hedychium 

 are so arranged that the pollen is removed by the wings of 

 hovering butterflies. My father's prediction of this observa- 

 tion is given in the following letter : ] 



