DARWIN 1 1 



through all my references for isolated points — it would take 

 me three weeks of intolerably hard work. I wish I had your 

 power of arguing clearly. At present I feel sick of every- 

 thing, and if I could occupy my time and forget my daily 

 discomforts, or rather miseries, I would never publish another 

 word. But I shall cheer up, I dare say, soon, having only 

 just got over a bad attack. Farewell. God knows why I 

 bother you about myself. 



" I can say nothing more about missing links than I have 

 said. I should rely much on pre-Silurian times ; but then 

 comes Sir W. Thompson like an odious spectre. Farewell." 



I give these extracts because they serve to explain why 

 Darwin did not publish the systematic series of volumes 

 dealing with the whole of the subjects treated in the " Origin." 

 With his almost constant and most depressing ill-health, the 

 real wonder is that he did so much. We can, therefore, fully 

 understand why, when he had published the " Descent of Man," 

 in 1 871, and the second editions of that work and of the 

 " Animals and Plants," in 1875, with the intervening " Expres- 

 sion of Emotions," in 1872, he should devote himself almost 

 entirely to the long series of observations and experiments 

 upon living plants, which constituted his relaxation and 

 delight, and resulted in that series of volumes which are of the 

 greatest value and interest to all students of the marvels and 

 mysteries of vegetable life. And when, in 1881, he published 

 his last volume upon " Worms," giving the result of observa- 

 tions and experiments carried on for forty-four years, he 

 enjoyed the great satisfaction of its being a wonderful success, 

 while it was received by the reviewers with unanimous praise 

 and applause. 



During this latter period of his life I had but little corre- 

 spondence with him, as I had no knowledge whatever of the 

 subjects he was then working on. But he still continued to 

 write to me occasionally, either referring kindly to my own 

 work or sending me facts or suggestions which he thought 

 would be of interest to me. I will here give only some extracts 

 from a few of the latest of the letters I received from him. 



On November 3, 1880, he wrote me the following very kind 



