A DARWINIAN BOTANY BOOK 535 
He was well embarked on the vast undertaking of the Genera 
Plantarum with Bentham. And in March he tells Henslow : 
Murray and others are very anxious, I understand, that 
I should bring out a Darwinian book on Botany — a sort of 
elementary book on Classification, Distribution, and origin 
of species. I am dubious and considering. I think I could 
make it a good instructional one with woodcuts illustrating 
all sorts of transitional forms, independent of all theory. 
This was the work referred to by Darwin (March 12, 1860) 
apropos of a visit from the Lyells. 
We talked over your Essays and agreed about the 
Book which you ought to make. What fine materials in 
all combined, includmg, as Lyell remarked, the Galapagos 
papers ' But I see in the Gardeners' Chronicle that you have 
started on a gigantic task with Bentham. 
And again, July 12 : 
I have been thinking about your Book, and the more 
I think of it the more awfully difficult it seems, and there- 
fore the more worthy of your attempting. One of the first 
points which seems naturally to occur is difference between 
plant and animal ! and then, as I suppose, you will allude 
to unicellular plants, what makes an individual ! And 
thirdly the difference between propagation by germination 
and sexual generation ! Nice little simple subjects to 
discuss ! 
The work in hand was sufficient, however, to keep him from 
this Darwinian Botany book. His friends, too, noticed that 
he looked overworked, and Darwin added one of his sohcitous 
warnings. Accordingly he turned over a new leaf, and tells 
Darwin (December 2 ?) : 
I have taken up the Genera Plantarum with Bentham 
in earnest, and am going to mend my ways now and for 
ever : giving up all Societies but the Linnean, and every 
unnecessary excitement, keep early hours, cut off all 
correspondents (except those I love) with short letters — eat 
well, walk a good deal in the garden, and avoid all occasions 
of sin. I have not had a headache for three months now ! 
