69 



once had life. They are Nature's first attempts 

 at creating animals and plants. (In Siberia dogs 

 devoured for years one of these specimens of " first 

 attempts," a putrid elephant at the mouth of the 

 Lena). 



Here are the Saturnalia for you ! Give a special look 

 at the notes en gros, some of which (A, p. 40-49, 

 B, p. 55-57) I enclose. 



The bulk of the work I should like to be charac- 

 terized by universality of design and breadth of view, 

 written in an animated and even, where possible, a 

 graceful style, and with the technical expressions trans- 

 formed into others which should be happily chosen, 

 descriptive, and pictorial. 



Correct freely, dear friend 1 I shall follow you with 

 pleasure where I can. I want to banish into the notes 

 some not quite ordinary erudition. The book should 

 thus become the reflex of myself my life my person, 

 now grown so very old. Treating the subject in this 

 desultory way I can proceed aphoristically. I want 

 rather to suggest than to lay down. Much will be per- 

 fectly intelligible to thoso only who are thoroughly 

 versed in some one branch of Natural History. My 

 mode of treatment, however, is, I think, calculated not 

 to disturb those whose acquirements are less. My 

 aim is to soar above the things'which we know in 1841 . 

 Hens agitat molem. Oh, may the spirit still be there ! 

 That such a work will not be finished by one born 

 of the comet-year 1769, is as clear as day. The seve- 

 ral fragments must appear in Parts of from twelve to 

 fifteen sheets, so that those who see me buried will 

 have something complete in every Part. So of the 

 " Prolegomena/' Nos. 1 to 4 shall come out together, 



