228 DARWIN'S LETTERS TO R. TRIMEN 



I am slowly recovering from my 10 months illness, 

 but I do not know when I shall regain my old modicum 

 of strength. I was pleased to see a nice little review 

 evidently by Mr Bates on your Cape butterflies in that 

 admirable journal The Nat. Hist. Review. 1 



By the way do you see the " Reader ". No English 

 newspaper ever before gave half as good resumes of all 

 branches of science : the literature is likewise well treated. 

 I do not know who the Editor is so that my puffing 

 is honest. 



Does Strelitzia reginat grow in any gardens at the 

 Cape ? I strongly suspect it must be fertilized by some 

 honey seeking bird ; the structure is very curious and 

 this w d be worth investigating. 2 With cordial thanks 



believe me 



Yours sincerely 



CH. DARWIN 



7. 



Written by Mrs. Darwin, signed by Charles Darwin, 

 who also inserted the words and letters printed in small 

 capitals. 



DOWN. 



BROMLEY. 



KENT. S.E. 



My DEAR SIR Nao 25, 1864. 



Your paper arrived quite safe. I have read it with 

 much interest, for I have long thought the" Bonatea one 

 of the most curious Orchids in the world. Asa Gray 



1 Bates's very appreciative review was of Part I of Trimen's 

 Rhopalocera Africae Australia, .Cape Town, 1862. It appeared 

 in The Natural Histoiy Review for April, 1864. 



2 Trimen supplied some evidence that Darwin s suspicions wer 

 well founded; for two species of Sun- bird (Cinnyris) frequented 

 the flowers of Strelitzia. See Cross and Self Fertilisation i the 

 Vegetable Kingdom (1876), 371 n. 



