350 MEMOIR OF DR. HARVEY. 



zoologist. I am too rusty in my insect lore to give you a 

 modern answer. . . . There were Algse (vile Algae) on my 

 table, New Zealand beggars, lying forgotten for a twelve- 

 month, till recalled to mind by the sender, Dr. Lauder Lindsay. 

 They are now named. Shall I send you what I don't want of 

 them ? Not very heavy. 



Ever yours, 



Flora Capensis. 



N.B. What is the case, oh parser, of the signature ? Do you 

 give it up? or doth not the " yours" tell you that it must be 

 vocative. To wit : " Oh Flora Capensis, I am ever yours !" 



November, 1863. 



My very good Madame Gatti, 



I had not time to read your " Spiders " yesterday till evening, 

 when I read them in my study before dinner. I find nothing 

 to object to in the natural history unless " eyes looking every 

 way at once," and one other point. First, " eyes every way," 

 can hardly be said of the fixed eyes on top of head only. But 

 after all no one but a hyper-cross-stick will quarrel with it as it 

 is. Second, Do spiders eat flies ? " eat them up," as at p. 151. 

 I thought they only sucked their juices, leaving the dry part of 

 a carcass in the web. I may be wrong, but I think so: look. 

 I know nothing about Home, the author of the " Poor Artist," 

 save that he was a popular writer some years ago, and has since 

 gone to Australia. He published a poem called " Orion," and 

 sold it for a farthing ! ... As to borrowing from Newman, 1 

 what does it signify ? 'Tis quite impossible, truly, for every 

 one to be at all times original. How can you help assimilating 

 gradually what you read from year to year, and which blends 

 with your own thoughts as sugar does with tea. As to your 

 copying anything from me, I am too much flattered at your 

 thinking it worth while to do so, so that I freely forgive you the 

 robbery. ... I am glad you are going to introduce scent. I 

 had a thought of sending the Spider down a gaspipe, or into an 

 escape of gas ! but the white lilies are much better. She found 



1 Alluding to a passage from Newman, quoted by Dr. Harvey in his Seaside 

 Book ; something similar to which had been unintentionally written in " Inferior 

 Animals." 



