236 THROUGH THE FIELDS WITH LINNAEUS 



difficulties, which frightened mankind from attempting 

 to investigate her.' 



Solander had just returned with Banks. Collinson 

 writes as follows: 'London, September 2, 1762. My 

 dear Linnseus cannot easily conceive the pleasure of 

 this afternoon. There was our beloved Solander seated 

 in my Musasum, surrounded with tables covered with 

 an infinite variety of sea-plants, the accumulation of 

 many years. Afterwards, at supper, we remembered 

 my dear Linnaeus and our other Swedish friends over 

 a cheerful glass of wine. You are, my dear friend, the 

 great and good man whom your sagacious king and 

 queen delight to honour. Your long life spent in the 

 most arduous studies, your unwearied application to 

 improve mankind as well as your own country, very 

 deservedly entitle you to the high honours so lately 

 conferred upon you. May you long live to enjoy them, 

 with health of body and tranquillity of mind. . . . 

 You are happy, that you can sit at home and receive 

 the annual tributary collections from all parts of the 

 world. ... To you, to whom Nature pays tribute from 

 all parts of the world, could I expect to offer anything 

 new ? I am glad to find the China Argus proved so.' l 



Collinson often asks for the ( Systema Naturae.' 

 ' Are not my eyes to be blessed with a sight of that uni- 

 versal Pinax before I die your masterpiece of nature ? ' 



1 Collinson sent a description, and feathers, of the Argus phea- 

 sant. Two feathers of its tail were fully three feet long. Linnreus 

 was delighted with this novelty. The fine specimen in our Natural 

 History Museum has the tail feathers over four feet long. 



