312 GEOEGE JOHN EOMANES 1892 



To Professor Poulton. 



New Hotel, Madeira : December 2, 1892. 



My dear Poulton, — I have now read the corre- 

 spondence in ' Nature.' It seems to me that is 



quite absurdly ' aggressive,' even supposing that he 

 proves to be right. But I send this to ask you about 

 the grasshopper letter in last week's ' Nature,' just 

 received here. I have noticed the same thing in 

 grasshoppers, but do not remember to have seen any 

 account of the changes of colour, or mechanism 

 thereof, in them. Do you know if it has ever been 

 worked at ? If not, I might do so here. 



The same question applies to lizards. It seems to 

 me that those here vary their colours to suit those of 

 habitual stations. I remember Eimer read a paper 

 about the lizards in Capri, but forget details. He 

 often alludes to it in his book translated by Cunning- 

 ham. What are his main results ? 



GL J. E. 



The Cambridge Fellowship was a great pleasure 

 to Mr. Romanes. In the last months of his life he 

 longed eagerly to visit his first University and his 

 own college, and planned visits to Cambridge which, 

 alas, were never paid. 



Canon Isaac Taylor was in the same hotel at 

 Madeira, and this considerably relieved the weariness of 

 exile. Mr. Romanes was still full of fun and merriment ; 

 the headaches diminished ; he played chess intermin- 

 ably, and even took part in a little play given one 

 afternoon by a few people who formed themselves 



