over again
to notice your orchid book in the "Chronicle" by the very broadest hints
man could give. (618/2. See "Life and Letters," III., page 273.) At
last he said, "really I cannot, you must do it for me," and so I
did--volontiers. Lindley felt that he ought to have done it himself, and
my main effort was to write it "a la Lindley," and in this alone I have
succeeded--that people all think it is exactly Lindley's style!!! which
diverts me vastly. The fact is, between ourselves, I fear that poor L.
is breaking up--he said that he could not fix his mind on your book. He
works himself beyond his mental or physical powers.

And now, my dear Darwin, I may as well make a clean breast of it, and
tell you that I wrote the "Nat. Hist. Review" notice too--to me a very
difficult task, and one I fancied I failed in, comparatively. Of this
you are no judge, and can be none; you told me to tell Oliver it pleased
you, and so I am content and happy.

LETTER 619. TO W.E. DARWIN. Down, 4th [about 1862-3?]

I have been looking at the fertilisation of wheat, and I think possibly
you might find something curious. I observed in almost every one of
the pollen-grains, which had become empty and adhered to (I suppose the
viscid) branching hairs of the stigma, that the pollen-tube was always
(?) emitted on opposite side of grain to that in contact with the branch
of the stigma. This seems very odd. The branches of the stigma are
very thin, formed apparently of three rows of cells of hardly greater
diameter than pollen-tube. I am astonished that the tubes should be able
to penetrate the walls. The specimens examined (not carefully by me)
had pollen only during few hours on stigma; and the mere SUSPICION has
crossed me that the pollen-tubes crawl down these branches to the base
and then penetrate the stigmatic tissue. (619/1. See Strasburger's "Neue
Untersuchungen uber den Befruchtungsvorgang bei den Phanerogamen," 1884.
In Alopecurus pratensis he describes the pollen as adhering to the end
of a projection from the stigma where it germinates; the tube crawls
along or spirally round this projection until it reaches the angle where
the stigmatic branch is given off; here it makes an entrance and travels
in the middle lamella between two cells.) The paleae open for a
short period for stigma to be dusted, and then close again, and such
travelling down would take place under protection. High powers and good
adjustment are necessary. Ears expel an