100 MEMOIR OF DR. HARVEY. 



Can you guess my present favourite tribe of plants ? Stare. 

 Composite ! I am quite in raptures with them since Decandolle 

 has developed Lessing's system, which, in the bad shape it first 

 appeared was a sealed book to me. Till now, this tribe was my 

 aversion. 



I have made arrangements with Zeyher who is at Uitenhage 

 to collect plants to sell at two pounds per hundred. He begins 

 in a splendid district, at a good season of the year, and then 

 passes to any place where plants are to be found. Of course you 

 know him by name. 



October 22nd. My Introduction is nearly ready for the press. It 

 merely wants the chapter on Morphology and the Glossary : 

 the former will be written eon amove, the latter con bore. I 

 had a note from Sir J. Herschel, with a flower of Satyrium 

 Herschelli (Harv.), a beautiful crimson orchis, with intensely 

 scented flowers. This will be figured in an early number of my 

 Cape Illustrations, but without colouring, and colour is what the 

 Cape flowers pride themselves on. 



November 7th. Up at half-past four this morning, and started 

 for Campo Bay — a very pleasant walk, where I picked up dirt, 

 and found a Harveya, apparently different from the Capensis ; 

 if so, the third species. I was up Table Mountain a few days 

 ago, and gathered seeds of Kaulfussia I 



Thermometer very high the last few days, nearly 100° part 

 of the day. Evenings oppressive and breathless. Fine weather 

 for drying plants — 72° in the house — which is effected by 

 having all the shutters and windows closed, to keep out 

 the baked atmosphere. A pretty bulbous geranium with jet- 

 black flowers is now in blossom in my garden. By the way, 

 the tricolor is far rarer here than at home. I have not yet met 

 a person who had ever seen it, though many know it in Europe : 

 yet it is a Cape plant. Coals to Newcastle may not always be 

 an absurdity. 



December 4th. I have lately made a good many drawings in 

 Indian-ink. Would I could colour, but it takes up too much 

 time ; twenty minutes is my fair allowance for a drawing, with 

 all its microscopic analysis. My ostrich is grown " werry big," 

 quite weaned, and his bed sent out to the yard, which is a great 

 relief to my bedroom, where cleanliness has again taken root. 



