I feel all the time on the borders of a circle of truism.

Of course I could not think of such a request, but you might possibly:--if Bentham does not think the whole subject rubbish, ask him some time to pick out the dozen most anomalous genera in the Leguminosae, or any great order of which there is a monograph by which I could calculate the ordinary percentage of species to genera.

I am the more anxious, as the more I enquire, the fewer are the cases in which it can be done.

It cannot be done in birds, or, I fear, in mammifers.

I doubt much whether in any other class of insects [other than Curculionidae].
I saw your nice notice of poor Forbes in the "Gardeners' Chronicle," and I see in the "Athenaeum" a notice of meeting on last Saturday of his friends.