98 MEMOIR OF DR. HARVEY. 



ducks, guinea-fowl, secretary bird, ostriches, antelopes, goats, 

 dogs, horses, a nameless African bird of lovely colour but 

 melancholy habits, rats, flies, &c, my family of live stock is 

 likely to be a heavy one. But when they get tiresome, 'tis easy 

 to get rid of them. The secretary bird is a fashionable one to 

 have running about the garden in this country, as he eats frogs, 

 slugs, (fee, as well as snakes. I forgot another animal in my 

 list. I am promised a land snail of large dimensions, from the 

 interior — a beauty — of the genus Achatina. I intend to turn 

 him loose, in the hope of his breeding. Yesterday brought me 

 many letters, quite a fistful, from all quarters — including one 

 from my old friend Arnott, of Arlary. He has found much 

 novelty among my plants, and writes for others. I shall write 

 to him to make descriptions of the Cape genera of grasses for 

 my " Gen.," as I am too little acquainted with the subject to 

 talk with pleasure of them, and he is working at that tribe at 

 present. I find my " Gen." will be a work of more labour than 

 I had calculated on, as I must write original descriptions from 

 nature of at least nearly all that I can lay hands on, authorities 

 are so little to be depended on. Now there are upwards of 

 500, and at fifty a week, which is fully as many as I can 

 mauage, here are ten weeks' preliminaries.' Then there will 

 be some weeks' arranging, correcting, and writing out fair, 

 besides awaiting an answer from Arnott ; so that six months at 

 the least will go by before I attack the printers. I may publish 

 my Introduction first, as it might lead to my receiving plants 

 from different parts of the interior, when it is known they will 

 be published. I purpose from time to time to give monographs 

 of a few families, describing all the known species, with outlined 

 drawings of the genera and guiding species. All these prepa- 

 ratory to the final Flora ; but let me first warm one iron before 

 I attempt to heat so many. Pray notice the subtle distinction 

 between these epithets. 



N. B. Ward, Esq. 



October 15th, 1837. 



.... Let me thank you for your admirable bulbing- 

 knife, which has been adopted as part of my right hand when- 

 ever I go out. I find it extremely useful, and certainly it is a 

 very pretty affair. For extensive bulbing, however, a small 



