To J. D. Hooker   22 August [1857]¹

My dear Hooker

Your hand-writing always rejoices the cockles of my heart; though you have no reason to be “overwhelmed with shame”, as I did not expect to hear.— We heartily rejoice that the birth is all safe over.—²

I write now chiefly to know whether you can tell me how to write to Hermann Schlagenheit (is this spelt right?) for I believe he is returned to England,³ & he has Poultry skins for me from W. Elliot of Madras.⁴

I am very glad to hear that you have been tabulating some Floras about varieties. Will you just tell me roughly the result?— Do you not find it takes much time? I am employing a laboriously careful Schoolmaster, who does the tabulating & dividing part into two great cohorts more carefully than I can.⁵ This being so I sh^d. be very glad some time to have Koch⁶ —Webb’s Canaries⁷ —& Ledebour,⁸ & Grisebach, but I do not know even where Rumelia is.⁹ I shall work British Flora with 3 separate Floras; & I intend dividing the varieties into 2 classes as Asa Gray & Henslow gives the materials,¹⁰ & further A. Gray & H. C. Watson have marked for me the forms, which they consider real species, but yet are very close to others;¹¹ & it will be curious to compare results. If it will all hold good it is very important for me; for it explains, as I think, all classification, ie the quasi-branching & sub-branching of forms, as if from one root, big genera increasing & splitting up &c &c, as you will perceive.— But then comes, also, in what I call a principle of divergence, which I think I can explain, but which is too long & perhaps you would not care to hear.— As you have been on this subject, you might like to hear what very little is complete (for my schoolmaster has had 3 weeks holidays): only 3 cases as yet, I see. diag Babington British Flora¹² 593 species in genera 593 (odd chance equal) of 5 & upwards have in genera of 3 & in a thousand species downwards have in a presenting vars. thousand presenting vars $\frac{134}{1000}$ $\frac{97}{1000}$

Hooker New Zealand¹³ genera with 4 sp. & with 3 species & upwards downwards $\frac{150}{1000}$ $\frac{114}{1000}$

Godron. Centre France¹⁴ 5 species & upwards 3 species & downward $\frac{160}{1000}$ $\frac{105}{1000}$ ramme

I do not enter in details on omitting introduced plants & very varying genera as Rubus, Salix Rosa. &c.—which w^d. make result more in favour.—

I enjoyed seeing Henslow extremely, though I was a good way from well at the time.¹⁵

Farewell, my dear Hooker do not forget your visit here sometime.—

Ever yours | C. Darwin

What sort of man is Swede Anderson?¹⁶ Does he care for generalities & other branches of Nat. History.— Is there any chance that he w^d. investigate a little point on colouring of Horses in Norway for me, about Zebra-like stripes on them.?¹⁷ If there was I w^d. write out questions, but it depends on nature of man.—