3O6 THE 'ORIGIN OF SPECIES.' [i860. 



Hooker, about a fortnight ago, stayed here a few days, and 

 was very pleasant ; but I think he overworks himself. What 

 a gigantic undertaking, I imagine, his and Bentham's ' Genera 

 Plantarum' will be! I hope he will not get too much im- 

 mersed in it, so as not to spare some time for Geographical 

 Distribution and other such questions. 



I have begun to work steadily, but very slowly as usual, at 

 details on variation under domestication. 

 My dear Gray, 



Yours always truly and gratefully, 



C. DARWIN. 



C. Darwin to C. Lyell. 



Down [May 8th, i86oj. 



I have sent for the ' Canadian Naturalist.' If I 



cannot procure a copy I will borrow yours. I had a letter 

 from Henslow this morning, who says that Sedgwick was, on 

 last Monday night, to open a battery on me at the Cambridge 

 Philosophical Society. Anyhow, I am much honoured by 

 being attacked there, and at the Royal Society of Edinburgh. 

 I do not think it worth while to contradict single cases, nor 

 is it worth while arguing against those who do not attend to 

 what I state. A moment's reflection will show you that there 

 must be (on our doctrine) large genera not varying (see p. 56 

 on the subject, in the second edition of the ' Origin'). Though 

 I do not there discuss the case in detail. 



It may be sheer bigotry for my own notions, but I prefer to- 

 the Atlantis, my notion of plants and animals having migra- 

 ted from the Old to the New World, or conversely, when 

 the climate was much hotter, by approximately the line of 

 Behring's Straits. It is most important, as you say, to see 

 living forms of plants going back so far in time. I wonder 

 whether we shall ever discover the flora of the dry land of 

 the coal period, and find it not so anomalous as the swamp 

 or coal-making flora. I am working away over the blessed 



