My dear Father,

I am very sorry you have been hunting for the thing with the hollow handle. I am afraid I can’t tell anything about it. All the rough tools of that kind I put in the 2^nd draw from the left in that sort of of table behind the balance table in my room: you will find 2 sizes of bradawls there but I am afraid not the hollow thing. I brought one fine pincers here as I meant to put litmus on leaves if there was heavy dew: the other one is ⁠⟨⁠in⁠⟩⁠ a wooden box in the dark cupboard which Lettington knows.² I am very sorry you have had a bother about it— There are 3 wire forceps hanging up on nails on the right of the fireplace if you want them.

Thank you for you kind words. I am getting on very well, I can get along with doing nothing pretty well.³ I havn’t had energy to take lessons in French, as it envolves going in nearly 4 miles & out again. I have been looking at some compositæ which have rosettes of leaves, (as you were).⁴ They dont seem to care about geotropism for they make perfect rosettes with the outer leaves all flat against the ground even when they grow on vertical surfaces of earth of which there are many here at the sides of the lanes. I forget what D^r Vries says about them.⁵ I found wasps going to an Agave in flower; & cutting it open I found the inside of the flower lined with aphides & some of them sticking to the honey—they dont often go inside do they. These aloe leaves where they overlap and press against one another in the bud make perfect impressions of the edge of one leaf on the surface of the next, & the formation of bloom seems affected as there is a thicker layer where the pressure has been, & this helps to define the impression.⁶ I have been out a Sunday herborisation with old Durando   there were 20 or 30 French people & they seemed quite interested about the flowers, writing down the names & putting specimens in tin boxes; he gave very good little jaws about them   I am going to meet him today in the Jardin d’Acclimatisation where he will take me round I suppose—⁷ I have been there for a short time but G was tired & we came away— it is the place Dyer⁸ meant & is very interesting with all sorts of things growing out of doors. I forget to say that the Klein meeting was pretty well attended & it is agreed to give him a testimonial not as a lump of money but as an expression of sympathy—so I suppose it is not necessary to give very large subscriptions. I think I shall give £5; if you subscribe before I come back will you pay 5£ for me saying that I am away—but I don’t know that there is any hurry— The secretary is

Malcolm Morris Esq

63 Montague Sq⁹

Please thank mother & Bessy¹⁰ for their letters— I am glad poor Ubbadubba¹¹ has got some nice dirt to play with instead of my saw dust   Give him my best love & say I will bring him a little red cap with blue tassel like the little ubbadubbas here were— I forgot that new caps are rather painful to him so perhaps it had better not be mentioned.

Goodbye dearest father | Your affec son | Frank Darwin

It was very good of Henrietta to write to me about vaccination but I dont think it is necessary¹²