My dear Darwin,

I have just got home from a 3 days tour among the Clay-pits¹ — where I have been with Fisher (Tutor of Jesus) & George.² I had no idea of the extent to which the workings have been carried— Many thousands of tons are now raised regularly per annum & some of the good folks have cleared many thousands of pounds— I am horrid correction of the Press—³ I had lately twice labelled Pollicipes mitella, & yet allowed it to stand as Pilliceps! Phillip’s also saw the proof sheet—⁴ Again, in my Hitcham list, in introducing the dark lines & dimensions on the proof sheet I have placed one below instead of above ln 53. Ilicanths which are corollifloral. Hooker has just observed this, tho’ he had the proof sheets— It is very absurd to make such blunders—but they will happen— diag Lychnis dioica Lin

———sylvestris Dodaeus =Red or white Campion

α. (red)=diurna, Sibthorpe—rarely hermaphrodite

β. (white)=vespertina, Sibt.—not always dioecious

γ. (flesh) often hermaphrodite—

turns white when transplanted—Engl. Flora ramme

The above is the information in Smiths English Flora⁵ I do now regard them as distinct—but races—⁶ In Cambridgeshire I never found red— In Suffolk the great majority are red in the hedges— white in the fields— The flesh (or intermediate) not uncommon— It is a question of experiment.

It would be well to try seeds of red in open places, & of white in shady situations— The permanence of colour is often remarkable— I have white