D^r. Darwin

I have no National Review but my own N^o. sc XX which I had at Down.² I will look at Goodenia flowers the first spare moment.³ I think you will find a similar viscid? surface above the hairs in Lobelia & Campanula, where also the pollen sticks abundantly, but never penetrates.

Bell told me yesterday that Owen avows the Review,⁴ I can hardly believe it.

Your observation about curvature of style reads good, I will bear it in mind— There must of course be a morphological rationale of the coincidence— Curved styles generally imply oblique flowers.— Oblique flowers have generally unilateral nectaries— Unilateral nectaries are usually posticous (or anticous by torsion of pedicel)— From æquilateral flowers with curved styles nothing can be deduced    E.G. Rhododendron, for there is no side more advantageous for passage of insect than another as far as form of Corolla is concerned. The curvature is I think in all flowers?? always towards axis

I must clarify my ideas on the subject, which are muddled— It is in leaving the flower that the insect does the trick.— Perhaps I do not quite understand you.

I go to Cambridge tomorrow for 2 days.— I have had an awfully narrow escape lately. HRH. wanted me to lecture the young R^l. family on Botany—at B^m. Palace.⁵ I have effected a compromise by shoving the lectures off on Henslow,⁶ & saving my credit by offering to teach the children a little practical Botany afterwards. I hope Henslow will not repudiate    Owen is lecturing them on Zoology⁷ but I cannot endure the thoughts of getting up Lectures.— I shudder at even teaching them with specimens, but think I could scrape through that— To refuse is of course impossible in an Assist: Director of Kew! & I am only too thankful to have jockeyed out of the Lectures. Pray say nothing of all this beyond your own house

Ever Yrs aff^y | Jos D Hooker

I wonder who wrote article on Testimony of Geology in National    I like it very much.⁸