1890 LETTEE TO PEOFESSOE POULTON 197 



There are plenty of white stoats hereabouts, I 

 believe, though I have never actually seen them, 

 because I do not stay late enough in the year. I 

 have told my keeper to try to catch some without 

 injuring them, and, if he succeeds, to send them 

 straight to the Zoo. The experiment would be a very 

 interesting one. But the keeper says that even here 

 the whiteness depends as to its intensity upon the 

 amount of snow in different seasons. He is most 

 positive about this ; he says it depends upon snow, 

 and not on cold. However, I do not quote him as an 

 authority in science, although he certainly is an in- 

 telligent and observing man. 



Regarding the Eoyal Institution, an after Easter 

 course by you would be doubly interesting, because 

 before Easter I have to give one on the ' Post- 

 Darwinian Period,' which will be mainly concerned 

 with Weismann. Your lectures might then serve as 

 a counter-irritant, therefore I will do anything I 

 can to bring them about, only, not being on the 

 managing body, I can help merely by backing any 

 application you may make. And, of course, there 

 ought to be no difficulty about it. Only let me know 

 if you should want backing. 



Would it not be worth while to get also some 

 mountain hares for observation at the Zoo ? These, I 



think, I could get. 



Yours very truly, 



Geo. J. EoMANES. 



Geanies, Eoss-shire, N.B. : October 15. 



Would you mind sending me the part of your MS. 

 dealing with Sphex ? I do not know that I quite 



