EAELY COLLECTIONS 259 
Bengal Hurkarus i in which Mrs. Mack's collections came ?) 
I can _ lay my hands on. This last fortnight I . have got 
a glorious lot of things, such fine Cyrtandreae especially, 
and a good gale of wind helped me to many of the 
trees. Campbell too is as active as ever he can be, and 
I generally get two instalments, sometimes four, daily. I 
cannot possibly draw all I ought though I do my best to, and 
the poor Fungi are gone to the wall altogether. I cannot go 
100 yards from the door without getting new things, to-day 
a new BalanopJiora ^ close behind the house, actually within 
a stone's-throw. 
August 30 : — The rain it raineth every day, and the 
whole country between the foot of the hills and the Ganges 
is under water. . . . Such lots of rain was never seen nearer 
than the West of Scotland. Plants seem to enjoy it, for 
they are coming out and flowering faster than ever. 
Besides the strictly geographical map already mentioned, 
a local chart was under preparation to show geographically 
the distribution of plants, ' a Carte Geognosiique of the vegetation 
of this place from the plains to 10,000 feet (like Humboldt's 
of Chimborazo).' Notes on the agriculture of the Himalaya 
were being made for Professor Henslow. Loads of living 
plants for despatch to Kew were being sent down to Calcutta, 
where Dr. Falconer forwarded correspondence and repacked 
plants for the voyage. Many of these plants perished in the 
plains before reaching Calcutta ; the safety of the rest was 
threatened by the severe illness of Falconer at this juncture. 
But the supply was endless. ' The richness of this Flora is 
most remarkable and new things are brought to me every 
day. I dissect and sketch roughly the most important, 
including all the Orchideae.' 
A great drawback during the first months was the absence 
of books of reference. Li July, Falconer, in despair of an 
opportunity of forwarding them, took to sending them in 
small packages by post. 
^ A Calcutta newspaper. 
2 A curious root parasite of simple structure, without leaves or petals, 
related to the mistletoe, formerly thought to be aUied to the Fungi. Hooker's 
paper on this order appeared in the Linn. Soc. Trans, for 1856. 
