Summary

Gives possible explanation for retention of horns throughout the winter by female reindeer.

Work on Atlantis.

Summary

Thanks CD for helping with arrangements for an American edition [of Primitive marriage (1865)].

He is an old friend of CD’s son-in-law, R. B. Litchfield, and of John Lubbock.

Summary

Sends his paper on locusts ["Die geographische Verbreitung der Wanderheuschrecke", Petermann’s Geogr. Mittheil. (1871)]. The effect of the growth of forest land on their increase; meteorological and climatic effects.

Also observations made on increase in mice as a result of increase of locusts, on whose eggs they fed, and of increase of weasels that fed on mice.

Summary

Is unable to accept invitation to Shrewsbury. Is grateful for offer of assistance at Wroxeter.

The weight of dry earth cast up by worms is 161/10 tons per acre annually.

Summary

After reading Descent, MTM sends report of a dog that woke its master at 7 a.m. on work days and 8 a.m. on Sunday.

Summary

Requests permission to quote from CD’s letters to Charles Boner in her edition [of Memoirs and letters of Charles Boner (1871)].

Summary

Asks VOK to translate a passage from Franz Körte, Die Streich-, Zug- oder Wander-Heuschrecke [1828], p. 33.

Deplores the "fearful piece of tyranny" that is obstructing publication of Descent in Russia.

Summary

Thanks for FD’s help. CD cannot conceive what Mivart means by "the identity between eyes of Cephalopods and Vertebrata".

Has invited Michael Foster to Down.

Summary

Obliged for ESM’s article ["On adaptive coloration of the Mollusca", Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 14 (1870–1): 141–5]. Glad to have error corrected about protective colouring of shells.

Summary

Mentions the difficulties in explaining the separation of sexes and Carl Nägeli’s view that the sexes of plants were primordially distinct.

Has been experimenting for five or six years to demonstrate that the benefits of crossing are the same as those derived from a slight change of conditions.

Summary

Gives his opinion on four papers by J. P. M. Weale.

Summary

JC-B’s MS most useful.

P. Gratiolet’s observations on contraction and dilation of pupils of eye of a person in extreme terror. Has JC-B ever observed this? Expression has been his hobby-horse for 30 years.

Summary

Disagrees with CD and especially with Lubbock and McLennan about communal marriage. [See Descent 2: 361–3.]

Summary

Thanks for FTK’s locust paper ["Die geographische Verbreitung der Wanderheuschrecke", Petermann’s Geogr. Mittheil. (1871)].

Summary

Replies to CD’s queries on movement of the eyes in meditation, and changes in the iris in rage and terror [see Expression, pp. 229, 304].

Summary

Thanks CD for his letter referring to JWS’s bibliographical paper ["Darwinian bibliography", Z. Ethnol. 3 (1871): 56–67]. Will be glad to inform CD of any additions to the list and would be grateful for information on future publications.

Summary

CD will pay for the American trip if it takes place.

Asks whether FD can help him understand the eyes of cephalopods; is the structure the same as in the Vertebrata and are the parts developed from homologous layers of skin?

Has been pleased by a recent review.

Postscript: Is thinking of a cheap edition of the Origin [1872] in which he hopes to answer St George Mivart’s criticisms.

Asks FD whether he can get some references to good papers on cephalapod eyes.

Summary

Believes CD will not consider him a good Darwinian since he accepts natural selection only as a secondary law.

Summary

Thanks for letter [7533] and the interesting notes. Even more interesting is HHHvZ’s case of the De Haas family.

Summary

Explains about the attendance at St George’s hospital that is required for the MB examaminations, and how this would affect plans for a trip to north America.