From Daniel Oliver   25 September 1860

Dear Sir,

My results so far with pure gum quite support your opinion.¹ Yesterd^y. morn^g. 9.25. a drop was put on a leaf of D. spathulata (a leaf of wh. I enclose)    at 2.10 P.M. no marked change,—prob^y. some inflection of inner glands,—but the marginal patent or recurved. 5.55. do. this day (Tuesd^y.) 8.56 AM & 5.48 P.M. No material change as yet. The plant looks unhealthy.

Another drop was placed on a leaf of D rotundifolia? 2.13. P.M. (Yester^y.)— No marked result this even^g.

I must try the old gum again. I have not burnt it yet. Besides Im not sure if we used it (the new) in equally strong solution. I intend still trying it.

We have another Drosera    I dont know the species,—(I understand Australian) with narrow linear leaves    Its rate of incurving some days ago over a fly was as follows

I quite look to working up one or two spinous Floras ²    I think of, as one, the Flora (Florula!) of Aden upon wh. D^r. Anderson is just now engaged here.³ It is to appear in a suppl^t. to the Linn: Journal    It is a very spiny Flora. Then Delile, for Egypt.⁴ perhaps Kelaart, for Gibraltar.⁵ Munby’s list for Algeria—⁶ No. West India.—& Some part of Tropical Australia or Mexico would be important. To contrast I would take our own Flora,—that of Arctic circle (easy)—upon wh. D^r. H. has much material for the Linn Trans. (it will not appear tho‘ I doubt till tow^ds. close of next year)⁷—V. Diemen’s Land. (J.D.H.)⁸    So. United States (Chapman).⁹ Before setting seriously to work upon it I should like to complete a little task I have in hand among the Aurantiaceae wh. I am trying (apart from Citrus) to rearrange.—¹⁰

The various sorts of spinosity ought to be separately tabulated,—whether true spines,—epidermal (prickles) & leaf appendages,—hardw^d. bracts, &c    Often it will be difficult to draw the line between spinose & spineless species,—as among Thistles, Dipsacus, &c. &c.

Apropos of Drosera see a footnote in D^r. Bromfield’s ’Flora Vectensis‘ p. 56—“The glands x x x x curving eventually over the flies x x x ensnared by their clammy exudation, but never, so far as I could observe, assisting primarily in their capture by any sudden contraction as in Dionæa muscipula”¹¹

I put a bit of paper in daubed with old gum,—   I did not perceive animal odour on burning a piece.

Very faithfully yours | Dan^l. Oliver. Jr

I doubt if we get good seed this autumn from over 3 or 4 of the isosceles beds!¹²