enefit. I cannot resist mentioning a trifling
incident, which showed his kind consideration. Whilst examining some
pollen-grains on a damp surface, I saw the tubes exserted, and instantly
rushed off to communicate my surprising discovery to him. Now I do not
suppose any other professor of botany could have helped laughing at my
coming in such a hurry to make such a communication. But he agreed how
interesting the phenomenon was, and explained its meaning, but made me
clearly understand how well it was known; so I left him not in the
least mortified, but well pleased at having discovered for myself so
remarkable a fact, but determined not to be in such a hurry again to
communicate my discoveries.

Dr. Whewell was one of the older and distinguished men who sometimes
visited Henslow, and on several occasions I walked home with him at
night. Next to Sir J. Mackintosh he was the best converser on grave
subjects to whom I ever listened. Leonard Jenyns (The well-known Soame
Jenyns was cousin to Mr. Jenyns' father.), who afterwards published some
good essays in Natural History (Mr. Jenyns (now Blomefield) described
the fish for the Zoology of the "Beagle"; and is author of a long series
of papers, chiefly Zoological.), often stayed with Henslow, who was his
brother-in-law. I visited him at his parsonage on the borders of the
Fens [Swaffham Bulbeck], and had many a good walk and talk with him
about Natural History. I became also acquainted with several other men
older than me, who did not care much about science, but were friends of
Henslow. One was a Scotchman, brother of Sir Alexander Ramsay, and tutor
of Jesus College: he was a delightful man, but did not live for many
years. Another was Mr. Dawes, afterwards Dean of Hereford, and famous
for his success in the education of the poor. These men and others of
the same standing, together with Henslow, used sometimes to take distant
excursions into the country, which I was allowed to join, and they were
most agreeable.

Looking back, I infer that there must have been something in me a little
superior to the common run of youths, otherwise the above-mentioned men,
so much older than me and higher in academical position, would never
have allowed me to associate with them. Certainly I was not aware of any
such superiority, and I remember one of my sporting friends, Turner,
who saw me at work with my beetles, saying that I should some day be a
Fellow of the Royal Society, and the not