Dear Oliver

I have rec^d a letter from an excellent Zoologist, Fritz Müller in Brazil, on climbing plants, & it appears to me to be worth sending to the Linn. Soc.—² As he is not a professed botanist, I had asked Hooker to read it over,³ but as on his return he will be so busy I sh^d be very much obliged if you will do me this kindness. As it will not take you more than ten minutes, I will assume that you will do so, & send a copy by this post. All that I want, is for you to see that there is no glaring error. It seems to me, in my ignorance, that he uses the word “Bracteæ” wrongly; if so will you correct it.⁴

Also I cannot understand his description of the leaves of Strychnos (a specimen is enclosed): if you do not understand I c^d alter the sentence in some such way as follows. “The first, 3^rd & 5^th pair of leaves are placed differently from the 2^nd, 4^th &c & the former alone bear on one side tendrils in their axes”.⁵ You need not waste your time in answering, for I know you are very busy, but return me the M.S. with corrections in pencil which can be rubbed out.

Dear Oliver | yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

P.S. If Hooker is in the Herbarium tell him I shall write in a few days & that I refrain from doing so now out of virtue, as he must be overwhelmed with business.⁶