s the
threads of mucus dry and contract they draw the seeds up into a vertical
position on the ground. It subsequently occurred to me that if these
seeds were to fall on the wet hairs of any quadruped they would adhere
firmly, and might be carried to any distance. I was informed that
Decaisne has written a paper on these adhesive threads. What is the
meaning of the mucus so copiously emitted from the moistened seeds of
Iberis, and of at least some species of Linum? Does the mucus serve as
a protection against their being devoured, or as a means of attachment.
(707/2. Various theories have been suggested, e.g., that the slime by
anchoring the seed to the soil facilitates the entrance of the radicle
into the soil: the slime has also been supposed to act as a temporary
water-store. See Klebs in Pfeffer's "Untersuchungen aus dem Bot. Inst.
zu Tubingen," I., page 581.) I have been prevented reading your paper
sooner by attempting to read Dr. Askenasy's pamphlet, but the German is
too difficult for me to make it all out. (707/3. E. Askenasy, "Beitrage
zur Kritik der Darwin'schen Lehre." Leipzig, 1872.) He seems to follow
Nageli completely. I cannot but think that both much underrate the
utility of various parts of plants; and that they greatly underrate
the unknown laws of correlated growth, which leads to all sorts of
modifications, when some one structure or the whole plant is modified
for some particular object.

LETTER 708. TO T.H. FARRER. (Lord Farrer).

(708/1. The following letter refers to a series of excellent
observations on the fertilisation of Leguminosae, made by Lord Farrer in
the autumn of 1869, in ignorance of Delpino's work on the subject. The
result was published in "Nature," October 10th and 17th, 1872, and
is full of interesting suggestions. The discovery of the mechanism in
Coronilla mentioned in a note was one of the cases in which Lord Farrer
was forestalled.)

Down [1872].

I declare I am almost as sorry as if I had been myself
forestalled--indeed, more so, for I am used to it. It is, however, a
paramount, though bothersome duty in every naturalist to try and make
out all that has been done by others on the subject. By all means
publish next summer your confirmation and a summary of Delpino's
observations, with any new ones of your own. Especially attend about the
nectary exterior to the staminal tube. (708/2. This refers to a species
of Coronilla in which Lord Farrer made the remarkable discove