Summary

Frank, who has been reclusive and very hardworking, is returning from Wales after a period of mourning for Amy.

Summary

CD grieves over death of Frank’s wife Amy; worries that it will weaken Frank’s determination to pursue his scientific work.

Summary

CD notes growth of Royal Society may force it to hire officers.

Speculates on cold resistance of bacterial germs.

Will communicate to Royal Society Frank’s paper on the ingestion of solid particles by the protoplasmic protrusions of Dipsacus glands.

CD working on plant dimorphism.

Summary

Admires Wallace’s Island life.

Criticises: 1. His view of similar plants on distant mountains – CD prefers previous low-land connections to Wallace’s summit–summit dispersal;

2. Source of warmth for ancient Arctic climate;

3. Origin of S. Australian flora.

CD’s favourite cases in Movement in plants.

Summary

Comments on R. L. Tait’s claimed isolation of digestive ferments from Nepenthes.

Summary

CD and family suggest inscriptions for Lyell memorial at Westminster Abbey.

CD communicating H. Airy’s paper on phyllotaxis to the Royal Society.

Frank observes pod-like emanations from glands of insectivorous plant ingesting solid insect particles [see 10520].

Summary

CD counters Thiselton-Dyer’s objection to protoplasmic filaments of Dipsacus protruding beyond cell-wall, as Frank’s paper claims, by citing white "blood cells passing through vessels".

Has received Moseley’s collection of photographs.

Summary

Promises to vote for Lankester.

Acknowledges faults of R. L. Tait’s paper.

Summary

CD is furious at the prospect of Lankester’s being black-balled by the Linnean Society. He plans to solicit support from various members and to come up with Frank for the voting.

Summary

R. L. Tait has requested CD send his [Tait’s] paper on Nepenthes to Royal Society. CD considers this a nuisance.

Certificate for G. J. Romanes.

Francis’ experiments on mechanism of twisted seeds.

Summary

Asa Gray’s directed variation would make natural selection superfluous.

CD has read new theological reconciliations of Darwinism and religion.

Summary

The date-palm seed case is important for Pangenesis.

Reports experiments on pollination of Ipomoea.

"Insular floras": A. Murray’s paper in Gardeners’ Chronicle is poor.

John Scott’s work on acclimatisation of plants.

The anomaly of the Azores flora on the migration theory.

Summary

CD thanks JDH for his condolences. Amy’s baby will live with the Darwins.

Summary

Thanks for leaves. His notes on them will be of greatest service.

He cannot distinguish some Eucalypti from Acacia. Sends specimens, with numbers, for JDH to name.

Acacia farnesiana branches arrived withered, but saw enough to make him wish to examine the plant.

Has thought of some troublesome experiments for Drosophyllum.

Encloses remarks [missing] by Searles Wood, with which CD disagrees, about a new and strongly marked variety transmitting its characters.

The competition of better adapted forms seems to CD a sufficient explanation [for extinction].

Summary

Proposes to support John Scott in research on relative fertility and self-incompatibility of plants. CD would pay him for a year or two but wants JDH to give him research facilities at Kew.