John Murray (Challenger Office) an Ernst Haeckel, Edinburgh, 19. November 1888
Challenger Expedition Office,
32 Queen Street, Edinburgh,
19 November 1888
My Dear Haeckel
I sent you on Saturday a box with specimens of Rhizopods, and I now enclose you a list with drawings and photographs.
These all seem to be large rhizopods, or fragments of large rhizopods: they consist of ramifying tubes which contain dark pigment cells or bodies like the | Phaeodaria. They seem to collect or select Radiolarien or Globigerina, or sponge spicules from the mud at the bottom.
I don’t know that they are of very great interest except as being very large rhizopods from deep water.
You I think could do large and effective drawings of these better than any other person || and could give an opinion about the contents and nature of the tubes.
If you can do the work at once you could have three or four plates done by way of illustration. Let me know: if you don’t wish to have anything to do with it, then I would like the whole returned to me here.
With reference to Dreyer I am in some doubt. I have not much money to spend on this work, and as you do not || state what his expenses will be the whole is very indefinite.
If he cares to come and work here for two months (9 weeks) on the condition that the whole of his expenses – travelling, keep here, and honorarium, everything in fact, shall not exceed £35 – then he may come. Should this not suit then I’ll be glad to arrange with him to make some lists from deposits which I will send to him.
Yours sincerely
John Murray.