Summary

Responds to JDH’s outline history of plant geography.

Considers Humboldt the "greatest scientific traveller who ever lived".

Discusses the origin and rapid radiation of angiosperms in Cretaceous period.

Comments on importance of work of Alphonse de Candolle, Saporta, Axel Blytt.

Summary

Outlines address to York BAAS meeting on history of geographical distribution. Organising theme: advancement in this science based on ideas enunciated by scientific voyagers. Asks CD’s advice.

Summary

Thanks for gift of Movement in plants.

Plans botanical research in Brazil.

Hermann von Jhering is conducting experiments on snakes.

WB obliged to work as newspaper correspondent.

Plans breeding experiments on dimorphic plants.

Summary

Praises JDH’s York address.

S. B. J. Skertchly has paralleled Axel Blytt’s work in Cambridgeshire fens.

JDH too cautious on southern glacial period.

Is Kew interested in Azores plants collected by Arruda Furtado, a local inhabitant and an evolutionist?

Summary

Island life continues to stimulate: Wallace ignores effects of glaciers on alpine flora and generally exaggerates those of débâcles and wind dispersal. CD encourages JDH to prepare a geographical address including history of geographical distribution.

Summary

Is making final preparations for his address [at York BAAS meeting] and questions CD on specific points.

Summary

Working on York BAAS address; finds CD’s comments helpful. JDH writes detailed response and expansion.

Summary

Responds to JDH on history of plant geography.

Opinion of Humboldt.

Origin of higher phanerogams.

Importance of the occurrence of south temperate forms in the Northern Hemisphere.

Summary

Thanks AB for his letter, his essay on climates ["Theorie der wechselnden kontinentalen und insularen Klimate", Bot. Jahrb. 2 (1882): 1–50, 177–84], and for his photograph. Sends his own.

Summary

Queries account for book "Fauna Neapol. II"

Summary

Belated birthday greetings

and reminiscences of CD’s help to the Station, which continues to prosper. A recent innovation is the establishment of the Zoologische Jahresbericht edited by J. V. Carus.

Summary

Arrived in Brazil three months ago. Studying insects and plants, but work suffers from lack of scientific literature.

Fritz Müller has written to him to observe relations between ants and plants.

Writing popular articles about evolution for German newspaper in Brazil.

Sends paper from Kosmos.

Expects to spend several years in Brazil.

Summary

Thanks Fd’AF for his interesting letter. CD suggests observations it would be worth making [in the Azores] although he is too old to make any direct use of them. Fauna and flora of different islands should be compared and the plants and animals from all high mountain summits collected. Suggests Fd’AF investigate the presence of glacial deposits and fossils on the islands. Survival of eggs in salt-water should be tested, as the wide distribution of lizards, land molluscs, and earthworms is a perplexing problem.

Will be very glad to read the essays Fd’AF sent.

Summary

Sends a copy of A. R. Wallace’s work [The geographical distribution of animals (1876)].

Advises Fd’AF on how to carry out his work, "Keep notes & go on accumulating facts". CD will write to J. D. Hooker about the plants Fd’AF has collected.

Summary

Cheered by JDH’s friendly words.

Wishes he could help JDH with geographical distribution, but the subject has gone out of his mind.

Summary

On land migration of plants. The case in Nature is striking but CD doubts that seeds of plants could be blown from mountains of Abyssinia to mountains of Madagascar.

Summary

Obliged for the shrub "Australian Sheep" [Raoulia eximia] and pleased to have seen MN’s Australian pictures. Can still recall scenes from various countries with vividness.

Summary

ARW’s view of migration of plants from mountain to mountain gains support from case described in Nature [23 (1880): 125–6] by J. G. Baker. Identical species of alpine plants found in African mountains and Madagascar.

Summary

Dispatches chapters six and seven [of Earthworms].

Asks for any opinions on V. Hensen and his book, Physiologie der Zeugung [1881], which seems interesting.

Summary

Glad CD approves of diaheliotropic paper. Reports on experiments with Carex and Yucca. Discusses translation of ‘Växtbook’ from Swedish. Heard some excellent music the previous night.