Summary

Asks specific questions on looking after plants of Dionaea. [The correspondent’s replies to the questions are written beneath them.]

Summary

Sends enclosure regarding inherited handwriting from Life, letters, and journals of George Ticknor [ed. G. S. Hillard (1876)].

Summary

GMT’s observations [on scarcity of holly berries] throw doubt on CD’s conclusions [see Collected papers 2: 189–90].

Summary

Observations on and explanations of the scarcity of fruit and berries (especially holly berries) evident that year.

Summary

Thanks for plants.

Thanks R. I. Lynch for information about "bloom" on leaves.

WTT-D should not write to Mr Smith about plants near seashore.

Summary

Would like the letters from grandfather [Erasmus Darwin] to J. A. H. Reimarus to be published.

Summary

Thinks most monkeys would become habituated to alcohol if they could get it.

Summary

EK may publish a translation [of "Sketch of an infant"] if he wishes, but CD hardly thinks it deserves the honour.

Glad to hear that Kosmos succeeds fairly well; has found several articles interesting.

Summary

Sends MS [of Forms of flowers]. Since sale is likely to be small, Murray may not want to publish it on usual terms. CD thinks it may be his last book and asks Murray to publish it on most favourable terms he can afford.

Summary

Has read CD’s note on the scarcity of holly berries ["Holly berries" (1877), Collected papers 2: 189–90] resulting from the scarcity of bees. Believes the shortage of bees resulted from the wet year 1875, which led to a very poor honey harvest.

Summary

Encloses extract [missing] on a caterpillar.

Mentions William Buckler’s magnificent drawings of caterpillars [The larvae of the British butterflies and moths, Ray Soc. (1886–91)], but doubts Buckler will lend them for any Darwinian purpose. John Hellins has a portion of drawings and is more liberal.

Summary

The extract from Ticknor [see 10722] is one of the most curious cases of inheritance CD has met with. He has sent it to Francis Galton as CD is not likely to write on inheritance again.

Summary

Lists the tasks he has completed; sends on letter from Romanes; news of Bernard.

Summary

Thanks him for sending his Birds of Connecticut.

Summary

Thanks GdeS for communicating his discovery. It is especially important at a time when several naturalists have declared that development occurs quite suddenly at intervals. Joseph Le Conte in N. America urges that even new families and orders are developed within an extremely short period.

Summary

Discusses effects of natural selection. Discusses absence of blending between geographical races as a problem. Discusses effect of natural selection on productivity of an organism.

Comments on GJR’s review of Grant Allen’s book [Physiological aesthetics (1877)].

Summary

Regarding CD’s inability to find a young botanist to investigate Russian wheat; comments on utter lack of organisation in scientific research in Britain as compared with Germany.

Gives arguments against CD’s suggestion that the saxonka seeds could have long dormancy period which would account for their gradual overtaking of kubanka.

Summary

Sends corrected sheets of Cross and self-fertilisation. How many copies will be printed? Asks whether he is correct in thinking that he has not been paid for the July printing.

Plans to correct Forms of flowers when new edition is needed.

Summary

Believes in differentiated nerve-tracts [in Medusa] because of experiment in which contractile waves blocked. [See GJR’s "Evolution of nerves", Nature 16 (1877): 231–3, 269–71, 289–93.] Did not know author of MS was Miss Lawless. Describes experiment on contractile waves in Aurelia. Also studying starfish.

Summary

Movements in cotyledons; outlines tracing technique. [A tracing of movements of red cabbage cotyledon enclosed.]