4 CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 



of it, for your judgment about it. The seed-vessel 

 is large and perfectly to be seen : the flower is a very 

 small yellowish one. You mention a box, which you 

 intend for all sorts of fruits and seeds. It must have 

 almost infinite cells and divisions to contain all the varie- 

 ties of seeds and fruits. Concerning the order and me- 

 thod of it you need not my advice, for I can give you 

 none but what is very obvious, viz., to put those of the 

 same tribe near together. As for instance, to have a 

 drawer with several cells or boxes for nuts, another for 

 cones, &c., for the rest of fruits which may be redviced to 

 several heads ; and then one for exotics, which cannot be 

 conveniently referred. In like manner for herbs, to have 

 a drawer A^^ith several boxes or divisions for Legumina, 

 another the like for Cerealia, &c., only those boxes must 

 be more numerous than those of fruits. By a di*awer 

 vd\h. several boxes, I mean such a thing as the printers 

 put their letters in. There hath been, and stUl continues 

 to be here, an epidemical sickness in the nature of a fever, 

 which cuts off many old persons and children ; but those 

 of middle age it spares. Some of my small company 

 are grievously affected with it. In the north of England, 

 and in Scotland, we heard of no such thing. 

 CoU. Trin., Sept, 14,1661. 



Mr. Ray to Mr. Willughbt. 

 D. Francisco Willughby J. Wray, S.D. 



De mira plantarum e semine enatarum metamorphosi, 

 et evariatione a nativa matrum figura, ne dicam specie, 

 tum Bobertus, junior, turn D. BroTVTi experimenta ahquot 

 a se facta mihi retulerunt ; adeo ut jam pene persuasus 

 sim plantas degenerare posse et intra latitudinem generis 

 seu tribus suae speciem mutare. De Nymphced alba 

 et hded minoribus, jam plane despero, nihil ejusmodi a se 

 unquam visum in fluviis circa aut prope Oxonium affirmat 

 D. Brown. Semina nulla coUegi, nee enim prspter Croci 



