Summary

Will work on papilionaceous flowers since CD encourages it. Discusses function of hairs in certain plants.

Summary

Agrees that it is wise to delay [publishing?] on Passiflora.

Puts queries he wants CD to send [to Fritz Müller] on bees visiting flowers in winter.

Summary

Sends notes on observations of Passiflora and Tacsonia; Hooker thinks they would be worth reading at Linnean Society.

Summary

Encloses extract from a letter from Fritz Müller about humming-birds visiting Passiflora, "as a caution about Passiflora in contrast with Tacsonia".

[Signed with CD’s name by Emma Darwin.]

Summary

Sympathises with THF at being forestalled by Delpino, but urges him to publish confirmation.

Summary

THF’s view, if confirmed, pleases CD in that what appears a mere morphological character is found to be of use. Carl Nägeli has been attacking him on this head.

Summary

Dislikes the use of the term "degradation" as applied to the closed flowers of Viola species. Species with such self-fertilising flowers also have flowers adapted for crossing. The development of closed flowers adapted to ensure a sufficient stock of seed is progressive.

Summary

On the fertilisation of Tacsonia and Passiflora.

Encloses a poem, "The Biological Teleologist", written after reading Delpino.

Summary

Thanks CD for lesson that it is wrong to call any plant which lives and thrives "degraded".

Summary

Comments on notes made by THF on Passiflora and Tacsonia. Suggests he examine more species. Recalls his own observations on P. princeps and Tacsonia.

Summary

Federico Delpino’s book has very nearly all that THF has found and a great deal more.

Summary

Asks CD’s opinion of a paper he has written on papilionaceous flowers.

Summary

Observations on Passiflora.

Hildebrand on geraniums.

Summary

Sends specimens of Passiflora and seeds for T. H. Farrer [letter enclosed with 7188].

Summary

Has procured a Passiflora flower at last. Structure suited for humming-birds rather than bees.

Summary

Justifies his use of term "degraded" by comparing contrivances for cross-fertilisation in different species of Viola.

Summary

Sends a "guess" about Mimosa leaf structure as an answer to one of CD’s questions.

Has found a Passiflora princeps.

Summary

Speculates on the function of the separate stamen of papilionaceous flowers.

Summary

Role of humming-birds in plant fertilisation.

Alexander Agassiz has visited Down.

Sales of Facts and arguments for Darwin.

Encloses copy of T. H. Farrer letter [7015] and observations on the self-sterility of Eschscholzia.

Summary

Sorry he will be away when CD comes down.

Congratulations on Henrietta Darwin’s engagement.