Summary

Son [Leonard] ill with scarlet fever. Also Mrs Darwin.

Intends to give up work on Drosera until Variation is done.

Summary

Asks for information about cases for stove-plants. [Answers recorded in another hand.]

Summary

Miocene glacial period a remarkable discovery; if it is true, enlargement of Tertiary period necessary.

Received German monograph on Chilean Carabi that does not answer where isolated species came from.

HWB finds genital modifications of Chrysomela strong support for the theory.

Thanks for copy of Orchids.

Summary

Has had 16 in the household ill.

Wants to meet JL.

Praises JL’s paper ["Ancient lake-habitations of Switzerland", Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 2 (1862): 26–51].

Summary

Asks for news of HWB and his book.

There has been sickness in CD’s family; one of the boys [and Emma] had scarlet fever.

Has had a letter from Edwin Brown of Burton who is working on classification of Carabi.

Summary

CD returns a paper he has received through [G. B.?] Sowerby. He wishes he could persuade his correspondent to publish papers on such subjects. The series on brachiopods was very striking.

Summary

GEH, a tailor, wishes to trade some work for a presentation copy of the Origin.

Summary

Thanks JB for "orchid flowers with Diptera".

Summary

Asks JDH to look at stigma of Leschenaultia biloba; it seems certain there is no stigma within the bud. Case would be important.

Singular case of peculiar structure now remodified into the functional condition of a Campanula.

Summary

Has returned last page of index [of Orchids]. Hopes JM will reconsider price – 10s seems high. Suggests two reviewers likely to be favourable. Sends list for presentation copies.

Summary

Asks DO to name enclosed Lythrum received from CD’s sister-in-law [Sarah Elizabeth Wedgwood]

Summary

Sends Nesaea seeds for CD

and stamps for Leonard Darwin.

Summary

Thanks AG for praise of Orchids and his notes on several American species of orchid. Comments on AG’s observations.

Is experimenting [on dimorphism] with Rhexia and Melastoma.

Asks AG’s opinion of a paper by Thomas Meehan ["On the uniformity of relative characters between allied species of European and American trees", Proc. Philadelphia Acad. Nat. Sci. (1862): 10–13] which is the best case of the apparently direct action of the conditions of life CD has seen.

Requests postage stamp for his ill son [Leonard].

Thanks AG for observations on Cypripedium and gives recent observations of his own.

Arethusa is very pretty; structure seems like that of Vanilla.

Finds the little (so-called imperfect) flowers of Viola and Oxalis curious: the pollen-grains emit their tubes whilst within the anthers, and they travel in straight lines right to the stigmas.

Sympathises with events in the U. S.

Reports on French translation of Origin by Mlle C. Royer, "one of the cleverest & oddest women in Europe".

Alphonse de Candolle says he wants direct proof of natural selection; "he will have to wait a long time for that".

Summary

PGK’s brother is coming to England and will call on CD.

He is impressed but not absolutely convinced by the Origin.

Raises a question about which CD wrote years ago: why do sheep degenerate in Australia, necessitating periodic importation?

Summary

Will enclose list of orchids in bloom for CD’s use.

Asks for photograph; her pleasure in knowing CD.

Most interested in the account of pigeons in CD’s book [Origin].

Summary

Strongly recommends Condy’s "Ozonised Disinfectant" as a cure for scarlet fever.

Summary

Flower structure of Cypripedium insigne.

Summary

Lenny [Leonard Darwin]’s illness.

Polymorphism in valerian and Lythrum salicaria.

Summary

Thanks for promise of photograph.

Has no melastomads in bloom.

Describes sensitive anthers of Cynorchis.

Thanks CD for "your little pamphlet".

Summary

Thanks CD for sending Orchids.

Reports observations by his uncle relating to the successful breeding of a male mule with a horse.