T.H.  Huxley.

4 Marlborough Place, September 16, 1886.

My dear Hooker,

I have sucked Grisebach’s brains, looked up “Flora B. Americana,” and “F.  Antarctica and New Zealand,” and picked about in other quarters.  I found I knew as much as Grisebach had to tell me (and more) about lutea, purpureo-punctata, acaulis, campestris, and the verna lot, which are all I got hold of at Arolla.  But he is very good in all but classification, which is logically “without form and void, and darkness on the face of it.”

I shall have to verify lots of statements about gentians I have not seen, but at present the general results are very curious and interesting.  The species fall into four groups, one primary least differentiated—­three, specialised.

1.  Lobes of corolla fringed. 2.  Coronate. 3.  Interlobate (i.e. not the “plica” between the proper petals).

Now the interesting point is that the Antarctic species are all primary and so are the great majority of the Andean forms.  Lutea is the only old-world primary, unless the Himalayan Moorcroftiana belongs here.  The Arctic forms are also primary, but the petals more extensively united.

The specialised types are all Arctogeal with the exception of half a dozen or so Andean species including prostrata.

There is a strange general parallelism with the crayfishes! which also have their primary forms in Australia and New Zealand, avoid E. S. America and Africa, and become most differentiated in Arctogaea.  But there are also differences in detail.

It strikes me that this is uncommonly interesting; but, of course, all the information about the structure of the flowers, etc., I get at second hand, wants verifying.

Have you done the gentians of your “Flora Indica” yet?  Do look at them from this point of view.

I cannot make out what Grisebach means by his division of Chondrophylla.  What is a “cartilaginous” margin to a leaf?—­“Folia margine cartilaginea!” He has a lot of Indian species under this head.

I send you a rough scheme I have drawn up.  Please let me have it back.  Any annotations thankfully received.  Shan’t apologise for bothering you.

I hope the pension is settled at last.

Ever yours,

T.H.  Huxley.

4 Marlborough Place, September 22, 1886.

My dear Hooker,

I have written to Lubbock a long screed stating my views [Referring to the relations between the South Kensington department and the City and Guilds Committee on Technical Education.] with unmistakable distinctness as politeful as may be, and asking him, if he thought well, to send them on to whomsoever it may concern.  As old Gutzlaff used to say when he wanted to get evidence from a Chinee—­“Gif him four dozen, someting vill transpire.”  At any rate the Chinee transpired, and I hope some official will.

Here beginneth more gentian craze.