Summary

Refers to letter from John Wright offering to help CD on his queries about deerhounds and sexual preferences.

More details about a terrier bitch previously referred to [letter missing].

Summary

Sends replies on dogs – sexual differences and preferences.

Summary

Comments on CD’s health.

Discusses origin of life and differentiation of principal classes of plants and animals.

Discusses Generelle Morphologie and its chapter on embryological development.

His lectures on CD’s theory.

Asks CD for larger portrait of himself and for several copies of the small photograph. Will send photographs of German scientists in exchange.

Summary

Thanks for answer to questions.

Has analogous questions on reptiles that he will send to AG. The subject interests him, but CD must try not to fall into his common error of "being too speculative".

Summary

Offers deerhound puppy.

Asks for photograph.

Encloses letter from George Cupples of notes, with excerpts from letters from Peter Robertson and John Wright, relating to difference in size between male and female deerhounds. Reports on weight statistics of ten [deerhound] puppies being observed.

Summary

Inquires which nurserymen near Edinburgh cultivate coloured primroses and cowslips. Wants to repeat John Scott’s remarkable experiments.

Summary

Work will prevent his visiting Down as he had planned.

Summary

Will send CD a deerhound puppy.

Reaffirms his statement that dogs in breeding form decided preferences toward each other, based on size, colour, or character.

Summary

Cannot give information about the box of Oxalis bulbs that his brother [Roland Trimen] has forwarded to CD.

Summary

Lyell’s position on mutability.

Fertilisation of trees by bees.

Summary

Will send deerhound puppy.

Is critical of Herbert Spencer.

Summary

Has received first sheets of Orchids and is very impressed. "What a skill & genius you have for these researches."

Details of U. S. orchids.

Summary

CD despairs when men like AG and Lyell consider themselves incapable of judging on change of species by descent.

Is confused over phyllotaxy.

Has been looking at Plantago lanceolata.

Summary

Faraday memorial is an exception.

George [Darwin] has convinced CD that North British Review article is by P. G. Tait [see 6841].

Surprised that leaves of Drosophyllum are always rolled backwards at their tips, but did not know it was unique character.

Summary

Trusts his paper ["Apterous Lepidoptera" (1867), printed for the West Kent Natural History, Microscopical, and Photographic Society] showed that he is thoroughly a disciple of CD.

Cites evidence that birds undoubtedly distinguish colours. [see Descent 2: 110.]

Summary

Would be delighted to see FB for a few minutes but his health is so poor he doubts it would be worth the trouble for FB to visit.

Thanks about the otter-hound.

Summary

Is sorry JDH cannot come to Down.

Hopes the House of Lords "pitch into the accursed fellow" [Ayrton].

Summary

The house at Barmouth.

His poor health.

Bentham’s interesting Linnean Society Address ["On geographical biology", Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. (1869): lxv–c].

CD particularly wishes to know how botanists agreed with zoologists on distribution.

Still thinks isolation more important in preserving old forms than Bentham is inclined to believe.

Summary

Discusses movement of ears and contraction of the platysma.

Discusses phyllotaxy, citing work of Carl Nägeli and Chauncey Wright.

Summary

Forwards a communication from A. Fonblanque for possible publication in Natural History Review. [See "Notice of mule breeding", Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 5 (1865): 147–8.]