1847 FIRST WORK IN THE 'RATTLESNAKE* 49 



leaving. Its title will be "Observations upon the 

 Anatomy of the Diphydae, and upon the Unity of 

 Organisation of the Diphydae and Physophoridee," and it 

 will have lots of figures to illustrate it. Now when we 

 return from the north I hope to have collected materials 

 for a much bigger paper than either of these, and to 

 which they will serve as steps. If my present anticipa- 

 tions turn out correct, this paper will achieve one of the 

 great ends of Zoology and Anatomy, viz. the reduction of 

 two or three apparently widely separated and incongruous 

 groups into modifications of the single type, every step of 

 the reasoning being based upon anatomical facts. There ! 

 Think yourself lucky you have only got that to read 

 instead of the slight abstract of all three papers with 

 which I had some intention of favouring you. 1 



But five years ago you threw a slipper after me for 

 luck on my first examination, and I must have you to 

 do it for everything else. 



At the Cape a stay of a month was made, from 

 March 6 to April 10, and certain surveying work 

 was done, after which the Rattlesnake sailed for 

 Mauritius. In spite of the fact that the novelty of 

 tropical scenery had worn off, the place made a deep im- 

 pression. He writes to his mother, May 15, 1847 : 



After a long and somewhat rough passage from the 

 Cape, we made the highland of the Isle of France on the 

 afternoon of the 3rd of this month, and passing round 

 the northern extremity of the island, were towed into 

 Port Louis by the handsomest of tugs about noon on the 

 4th. In my former letter I have spoken to you of the 

 beauty of the places we have visited, of the picturesque 

 ruggedness of Madeira, the fine luxuriance of Rio, and 



1 These papers are to be found in vol. i. of the Scientific 

 Memoirs of T. H. Huxley, p. 9. 



VOL. I E 



