Dear Oliver

Would you have the kindness to look over the enclosed: it seems to me a valuable paper.² D^r. Hildebrand has sent it to me with the request to get it read before some Society, or get it published somehow.³

Now you will see that it is an abstract of a longer paper to be published in the Bot. Zeitung.⁴ Therefore I fear it would not do for Linn. Soc. How is this; please consult Hooker?⁵ If it will not do for Linn. Soc. would it do for the Nat. Hist. Review? & this is the reason I send it to you.—⁶ If not fitted for N.H.R. I will send it to Annals of N. Hist. So at your leisure please let me hear as I must write to D^r. H..—⁷ D^r. Hildebrand pleases me by telling me that he has been repeating my experiments on Linum & has observed fertilisation of all German orchids & finds my statements correct.— But he adds that he thinks I am probably wrong about sexes of Acropera & Catasetum & I very much fear, indeed feel almost sure, that I have blundered fearfully about Acropera, & probably about Catasetum, which is horrid to think of.—⁸ I wish my Acropera would flower; I shall soon have two Catasetums in flower & must look to them.⁹

Dear Oliver | Yours very sincerely | C. Darwin

Tell Hooker I am madder than ever on Tendrils, & long to hear whether he has anything for me for observation¹⁰