^T. 54.] TO CHARLES DARWIN. 539 



November 6. 



I am very glad to hear from you, and to see half 

 your letter of October 19 in your own handwriting is 

 a good sign. I do hope you may get a comfortable 

 winter, and bring out your next volume without 

 breaking down. 



I am pleased that you approve my abstract of 

 your Climber paper, but observe it was only of the 

 first part of your elaborate article. But as to the 

 praise you speak of, I am sure you pay me back with 

 interest. 



I lately sent " Silliman " as much more — a large 

 part, indeed, extracts, which I could not shorten — on 

 the Tendril-bearing part of your paper. But Dana 

 sent me the proof, with all my long extracts omitted 

 for want of room. This reduced my article to incohe- 

 rence, so I begged aU to be laid over for the January 

 number, when I hope to have room. I entertained 

 our social scientific club here with your article, and 

 all were greatly interested. 



As to climbing roses, they are the strong summer 

 shoots, growing after flowering, which I find fre- 

 quently runnmg their heads into dark corners of the 

 porch over my door, etc. 



That is very curious, but quite what I looked for, 

 that dimorphous species self-fertilized should act like 

 hybrids (sterile or dwarf, etc.). 



You must publish these facts in some brief arti- 

 cle. 



" Stephens " (Stevens) was a New Yorker ; is 

 dead, years ago ; wrote most amusing and popular 

 travels ; in Egypt, as well. Central America was his 

 first and freshest book, but only amusing, as far as 

 I recollect. 



