on the dispersal of animals and plants; they certainly do not refer to the
evolutionary views to be found in the book.)


LETTER 15. TO J.D. HOOKER.
Down [1844].

Thank you exceedingly for your long letter, and I am in truth ashamed of
the time and trouble you have taken for me; but I must some day write again
to you on the subject of your letter. I will only now observe that you
have extended my remark on the range of species of shells into the range of
genera or groups. Analogy from shells would only go so far, that if two or
three species...were found to range from America to India, they would be
found to extend through an unusual thickness of strata--say from the Upper
Cretaceous to its lowest bed, or the Neocomian. Or you may reverse it and
say those species which range throughout the whole Cretaceous, will have
wide ranges: viz., from America through Europe to India (this is one
actual case with shells in the Cretaceous period).


LETTER 16. TO J.D. HOOKER.
Down [1845].

I ought to have written sooner to say that I am very willing to subscribe 1
pound 1 shilling to the African man (though it be murder on a small scale),
and will send you a Post-office-order payable to Kew, if you will be so
good as to take charge of it. Thanks for your information about the
Antarctic Zoology; I got my numbers when in Town on Thursday: would it be
asking your publisher to take too much trouble to send your Botany ["Flora
Antarctica," by J.D. Hooker, 1844] to the Athenaeum Club? he might send two