1878.] ON PLANTS OF THE SAME SPECIES.' 483 



from the outside of the stigma on to its surface. Now can 

 you tell me, does S. perfoliata close its flower like S. specu- 

 lum, with angular inward folds ? if so, I am smashed without 

 some fearful " wriggling." Are the imperfect flowers of your 

 Specularia the early or the later ones ? very early or very 

 late ? It is rather pretty to see the importance of the closing 

 of flowers of S. speculum. 



[* Forms of Flowers ' was published in July ; in June, 

 1877, he wrote to Professor Carus with regard to the trans- 

 lation : 



" My new book is not a long one, viz. 350 pages, chiefly 

 of the larger type, with fifteen simple woodcuts. All the 

 proofs are corrected except the Index, so that it will soon be 

 published. 



" .... I do not suppose that I shall publish any more 

 books, though perhaps a few more papers. I cannot endure 

 being idle, but heaven knows whether I am capable of any 

 more good work." 



The review alluded to in the next letter is at p. 445 of the 

 volume of ' Nature ' for 1878 :] 



C. Darwin to W. Thiselton Dyer. 



Down, April 5, 1878. 



MY DEAR DYER, I have just read in * Nature ' the re- 

 view of ' Forms of Flowers,' and I am sure that it is by you. 

 I wish with all my heart that it deserved one quarter of the 

 praises which you give it. Some of your remarks have in- 

 terested me greatly. . . . Hearty thanks for your generous 

 and most kind sympathy, which does a man real good, when 

 he is as dog-tired as I am at this minute with working all day, 

 so good-bye. 



C. DARWIN. 



