282 LETTERS TO PROFESSOR WALLACE [CHAP. xxm. 



only hit the eye, but nearly a week after I found injury 

 resulted from the bit having embedded itself in the upper 

 part of the eyeball and formed a small abscess. Of course 

 it had to be operated on and I hope put all right, but the 

 very long, weary operation and the cocaine, &c., &c., have 

 so tired everything concerned that 1 have not got over it all 

 yet. So I thought I ought to tell you. What I want to say 

 as distinguished from writing is more in detail. 



March 19, 1896. 



I make no doubt that I shall hear from our good friend 

 Dr. Fream very shortly, or at least as soon as his much 

 occupied time permits, but meanwhile I do not like to delay 

 thanking you for kindly letting me know that the University 

 Court had paid me the very gratifying compliment of ap- 

 pointing me co-examiner with Dr. Fream I in Agricultural 

 Entomology. I think myself much honoured and much 

 pleased also by their selection. If I might ask you to take 

 the trouble, and it should be admissible, I should much like 

 you to express to the University Court my grateful apprecia- 

 tion and assurance that I will endeavour to do whatever 

 may be required in the office to the best of my ability. 



March 27, 1896. 



I am really very greatly obliged to you for the clear and 

 full explanation you have spared time to give me, in your 

 letter received this afternoon, of the arrangement of my co- 

 examinership. It does please me very much to have even 

 this little post, for I look on it as a mark of approval of your 

 grand old University ; also I am very glad that you approved 

 of my letter to the Secretary. 



I never knew the injurious insects so active as they have 

 been this winter, in air, earth, and water in the latter to the 

 great damage of watercress (chap. XVI.). I had yesterday, 

 some good specimens of great mischief from clover-stem 

 sickness and for the first time found a nice way of col- 

 lecting quantities of the Anguittulidce (eel- worms) for obser- 

 vation. Generally they hide up in the rubbish, but I found 

 that by teazing it out very finely in water on the slide and 

 then carefully lifting it all away until the slide looked bare, 

 that still such numbers of the eel-worms remained that they 

 could be thoroughly examined. 



1 Dr. Fream had been, as a result of the recommendation of Miss 

 Ormerod, appointed Steven Lecturer on Agricultural Entomology in 

 Edinburgh University. 



