356 A DECADE OF WORK AT HOME.  [1848, 
than south of Santa Fé. New Spain and Rocky 
Mountain botany is far more interesting to us than 
Mexican. 
TO JOHN TORREY. 
March 29, 1848. 
Your parcel came to-day; many thanks. After 
dinner I have just looked over the Mexican Com- 
posite of Gregg,! which are numerous, and quite a 
bonne bouche. My old love of the dear pappose crea- 
tures revived at the sight, and I longed to take them 
by the beard. If at liberty to do so (am I?) I think 
I will, at the same time I do the Santa-Féans; and at 
the same time I will study any of Abert’s or Emory’s 
Mexican or North Spain Composite you have not 
already disposed of. As to the parcel to be divided, 
of which there are no duplicates, whoever packed your 
parcel has taken care that there shall be pieces enough, 
if no specimens! They were in longer paper than the 
other bundles ; not protected by binder’s board, and 
therefore both ends, for two or three inches, were nicely 
bent up against the ends of the shorter bundle next 
them ; which was very pretty for the shape of the 
parcel, but death to many of the plants; for the fold 
came just below the heads in most cases, too many of 
which were decapitated like the victims of the (last 
but two) French revolution. 
I have been going on with recitations for some 
time, twice a week (two hours), and to-day I began 
my lectures to the whole Junior class, on Beourapht- 
cal Botany for the present. 
1 Josiah Gregg, died in California, 1850; made excellent collec- 
tions in Chihuahua and in the Valley of the Rio Grande. Author of 
the Commerce of the Prairies. 
