My dear old W.

Your note has pleased me much.² I write in hurry to catch post, as I have just remembered that you have an Acacia (Robinia pseudo-acacia) in your garden, and probably there are others in Rogers’ garden.³ I hear that worms draw the petiole of the leaves into the mouth of their borrows, thus

I want much to know whether they draw them in by blunt base or by apex—and whichever end is drawn in, whether this is uniformly done. It is rather late for this work, but I daresay you could find old tufts, and if pulled carefully up you could soon see which end has been drawn in.

In a very few days I shall know better whether it would be important to me to have castings from Beaulieu.⁴

Have had very buttery letters from Hooker and Dyer about Book. The publication will not cost me quite so much as I expected. Murray has sold 800 copies. The Times ought to help.⁵

Good bye my dear old fellow | C. Darwin.

Read only last Chapt. of my book.⁶