872 BOTANY : ITS POSITION AND PEOSPECTS 
You think that Praecursores of the first Orders of the Cape 
Flora would not be valuable, because of the little novelty, 
but I think you have the old error of preferring novelty to 
anything else. Where for instance can I go for a tolerably 
accurate notion of Cape species of Banunculaceae ? It will 
be a greater novelty to me to find in your Flora 3 Anemones 
reduced to 2, than to find them raised to 4, and in my idea 
it is a far more valuable fact, for reducing a bad species is 
far better than making a new. What I regret is to see so 
much good sound common Bot. information carried to the 
grave by the holders, because being insensibly acquired its 
real value is overlooked by them. I had the same difficulty 
in getting Thomson to supply sketches of the Tibetan and 
N.W. Floras for an Introd. Essay — he could quite see the 
value of my doing it — for the Sikkim Flora ! So it is with 
the distribution of Southern Algae, and I do believe that I 
should do more good to Science by inducing you to give us 
a good unlabored essay on this subject than by attempting 
higher things myself or urging you to do so. Botany goes 
to the dogs from the prevalence of this mauvai^e honte 
and false pride. 
You are certainly far too hard worked, and I do long to 
see the end of some of your great labors. Y^ou should never 
work beyond llj p.m., and you should not poison yourself I ^ 
The expense of that would be well reimbursed in otherwise 
employing your time. I think you should still lay out for 
gluer, and catalogue yourself, as these are very improving 
operations and easy ones on the whole, not demanding too 
much brain work or sedentary employment. With Wife's 
love. Ever your affect. 
J. D. Hooker. 
Excuse this scrawl. Tim [the pet cat] bothered me most 
of the time. 
In short, as he adds on October 23 : 
The besetting sin of the Botanists of the day is the 
craving for 'perfect materials ; forgetful that these Sciences 
are all progressive, and our efforts but steps in the pro- 
gression. 
1 I.e. himself apply insect-destroyer to his herbarium. 
