My Dear Father,

I am very glad to hear that you are better, I suppose it is your face that is right.² I went and got some grass yesterday, and have been looking at it this morning  I found pollen grains sticking to the treelike stigmas, but it takes a high power, and I expect it will take a lot of fiddling and looking at different spec. before one sees how they stick, I mean to get a bit of wheat today.³ it is very odd but I dont feel quite certain what you wanted me to look for in Valerian or Lithrum,⁴ unless it is whether the stigmas are of different lengths. Yesterday I gathered 15 bits of V. and examined them carefully writing note of each examined the stigma in some were certainly longer than others, but then they seemed almost to graduate from short to long, and I think the old flowers had them much longer than the young. if it is about the stigmas you want to know, I will mark a plant and see whether they do get so much longer as they get old. Also about the Lithrum though I am no so sure after all that I can find any.

Some of the stigmas in Valerian were twice as long as others above the base of the petals.

I am sorry to hear old pouter is bad, I suppose his banishment is over.⁵

I was going to have Clement down from L.H.P, for Sunday but a two day’s post upset his plans so that he is now at Hartfield⁶

I am your affect son | W. E. Darwin

did not you tell me something about Boragineæ?