THE SCIENCE OF LANGUAGE. 15 



single plant is capable of spreading, as soon 

 as it finds room and favourable oppor- 

 tunities. Finally, with regard to " the 

 variation of species," to " inheritance," 

 in a word, with respect to " selection," 

 there also is a large field of observation 

 and experience for a man who has so Jong 

 ridden the hobby of cultivating in diffe- 

 rent directions one of our beautiful flowers 

 that is most capable of variation. 



Yet, my dear friend, you were not alto- 

 gether on the right track, when you wished 

 to make me acquainted with the remarkable 

 book, on account of my love for garden- 

 ing; Darwin's views and theory struck me 

 in a much higher degree, when I apphed 

 them to the science of language. 



What Darwin lays down of the animal 

 creation in general, can equally be said of 

 the organisms of speech — nay, it is quite 

 accidentally that I pronounced an opinion 



