306 BOTANY. [Oh. XVI. 



for the Orchids are more play than real work. I have been 

 much interested by Epidendrnm, and have worked all morning 

 at them ; for Heaven's sake, do not corrupt me by any more 

 (August 30, 1861). 



He originally intended to publish his notes on Orchids as a 

 paper in the Linnean Society's Journal, but it soon became 

 evident that a separate volume would be a more suitable form 

 of publication. In a letter to Sir J. D. Hooker, Sept. 24, 1861, 

 he writes : — 



" I have been acting, I fear that you will think, like a goose ; 

 and perhaps in truth I have. When I finished a few days ago 

 my Orchis paper, which turns out one hundred and forty folio 

 pages ! ! and thought of the expense of woodcuts, I said to 

 myself, I will offer the Linnean Society to withdraw it, and 

 publish it in a pamphlet. It then flashed on me that perhaps 

 Murray would publish it, so I gave him a cautious description, 

 and offered to share risks and profits. This morning he writes 

 that he will publish and take all risks, and share profits and 

 pay for all illustrations. It is a risk, and Heaven knows 

 whether it will not be a dead failure, but I have not deceived 

 Murray, and [have] told him that it would interest those 

 alone who cared much for natural history. I hope I do not 

 exaggerate the curiosity of the many special contrivances." 

 And again on September 28th : — 



" What a good soul you are not to sneer at me, but to pat 

 me on the back. I have the greatest doubt whether I am not 

 going to do, in publishing my paper, a most ridiculous thing. 

 It would annoy me much, but only for Murray's sake, if the 

 publication were a dead failure." 



There was still much work to be done, and in October he 

 was still receiving Orchids from Kew, and wrote to Hooker : — 

 " It is impossible to thank you enough. I was almost mad 

 at the wealth of Orchids." And again — 



" Mr. Veitch most generously has sent me two splendid buda 

 of Mormodes, which will be capital for dissection, but I fear 

 will never be irritable ; so for the sake of charity and love of 

 heaven do, I beseech you, observe what movement takes placo 

 in Cychnoches, and what part must be touched. Mr. V. has 

 also sent me one splendid flower of Catasetuin, the most 

 wonderful Orchid I have seen." 



On October 13 he wrote to Sir Joseph Hooker : — 

 " It seems that I cannot exhaust your good nature. I have 

 had the hardest day's work at Catasetum and buds of Mor- 

 modes, and believe I understand at last the mechanism of 

 movements and the functions. Catasetum is a beautiful case 



