thers, but I learnt very little, as describers of
dried plants do not attend to such points. I have, however, sowed seeds
of two kinds, suggested to me as probable. I have, therefore, been
extremely glad to receive the seeds of Heteranthera reniformis. As far
as I can make out it is an aquatic plant; and whether I shall succeed
in getting it to flower is doubtful. Will you be so kind as to send me
a postcard telling me in what kind of station it grows. In the course
of next autumn or winter, I think that I shall put together my notes (if
they seem worth publishing) on the use or meaning of "bloom" (689/3.
See Letters 736-40.), or the waxy secretion which makes some leaves
glaucous. I think that I told you that my experiments had led me to
suspect that the movement of the leaves of Mimosa, Desmodium and Cassia,
when shaken and syringed, was to shoot off the drops of water. If you
are caught in heavy rain, I should be very much obliged if you would
keep this notion in your mind, and look to the position of such leaves.
You have such wonderful powers of observation that your opinion would be
more valued by me than that of any other man. I have among my notes one
letter from you on the subject, but I forget its purport. I hope, also,
that you may be led to follow up your very ingenious and novel view
on the two-coloured anthers or pollen, and observe which kind is most
gathered by bees.

LETTER 690. TO F. MULLER. [Patterdale], June 21st, 1881.

I should be much obliged if you could without much trouble send me seeds
of any heterostyled herbaceous plants (i.e. a species which would
flower soon), as it would be easy work for me to raise some illegitimate
seedlings to test their degree of infertility. The plant ought not
to have very small flowers. I hope that you received the copies of
"Nature," with extracts from your interesting letters (690/1. "Nature,"
March 3rd, 1881, Volume XXIII., page 409, contains a letter from C.
Darwin on "Movements of Plants," with extracts from Fritz Muller's
letter. Another letter, "On the Movements of Leaves," was published in
"Nature," April 28th, 1881, page 603, with notes on leaf-movements sent
to Darwin by Muller.), and I was glad to see a notice in "Kosmos" on
Phyllanthus. (690/2. "Verirrte Blatter," by Fritz Muller ("Kosmos,"
Volume V., page 141, 1881). In this article an account is given of a
species of Phyllanthus, a weed in Muller's garden. See Letter 687.) I
am writing this note aw