226 DARWIN'S LETTERS TO R. TRIMEN 



are thus dragged over the stigmas,-^R. Brown's paper 

 has beautiful . iIlustrations.-T-This is a disjointed, , duU 

 letter, but I have been working all day with very little 

 strength. — 



With every good wish and sincere thanks 

 Pray believe me 



My dear Sir 



Yours sincerely 



Ch Darwin 



Nov. 25 [1863] 



Down. 



Bbomley. 



Kent. S.E. 

 My dear Sir 



I have been laid on the shelf for nearly three 

 months, and am ordered to do nothing for 6 months by 

 my doctors. To write this is against rules. — Many 

 thanks for specimens of orchids and for your kind letter. 



1 dare not look at Oooalis flowers. I regret much that 

 you cannot get seed, especially of your trimorphic 

 flowers.^ Most species of Oxalis shed their seed by 

 a spurt and the capsules are sensitive to a touch. 

 Could you employ anyone to dig up the bulbs of the 



2 or 3 forms and allow me to pay ; i. e. if they are bulb- 

 bearers. 



The last job I began and broke down was a letter 



hold of Asclepiad flowers in North America, and how frequently 

 their tarsi were bristling with pollen-masses. On one occasion 

 I found a dead humble-bee held fast by the flower. 



' In answer to Darwin's inquiries Trimen informed him that he 

 had found trimorphic heterostyled species of Oxalis, and sent draw- 

 ings and dried specimens. Darwin referred to this information 

 and material in The Different Forms of Flowers on, Plants of the 

 same Species- {1S77), 169. Trimen's name is accidentally omitted 

 from the index of this work. 



