Summary

Hildebrand’s paper on trimorphism in Oxalis ["Über den Trimorphismus in der Gattung Oxalis", Monatsber. K. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin (1866): 352–74].

Problems of explaining brightly coloured, attractive seeds.

Haeckel has visited Down.

FM’s climbing plants paper is printed [J. Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.) 9 (1867): 344–9].

Summary

Thanks for information on orchids

and facts on coastal flora and fauna.

Asks FM to look out for dimorphic aquatic and marsh plants.

Has read pamphlets "in our favour" by Carl v. Nägeli and Oscar Schmidt.

Summary

Structure of Scaevola and its fertilisation with insect aid.

Fertilisation of Aristolochia.

FM’s paper on climbing plants [see 5146].

Is preparing new edition of Origin.

Summary

Describes the floral structure of broom, particularly the form of the varying anthers. Encloses drawings of anthers and pollen.

Summary

Has a small living at Norton Canon.

Will visit Charles Whitley next week.

Summary

Cuttings have arrived. Different flower forms [in Rhamnus?].

Summary

Mogg [John Traherne Moggridge] wants to visit CD.

Self-fertilising orchids.

Summary

Asks botanical readers to inform him "whether in those monoecious or dioecious plants, in which the flowers are widely different, it has ever been observed that half the flower, or only a segment of it, has been of one sex and the other half or segment of the opposite sex, in the same manner as so frequently occurs with insects?"

Summary

Sending his paper on tristyly in Oxalis.

Cannot attend botanical congress, where CD will be vice-president.

Summary

Polymorphism in Rhamnus.

Summary

Gives observations on orchid ovules ripening long after blooming.

Infertility with own pollen sometimes does and sometimes does not indicate dimorphism; gives observations on Ximenia, Eschscholtzia and Oncidium flexuosum.

Describes some striking seeds eaten by birds,

and some new dimorphic species.

Variation in Thillia.

Confirms CD’s suspicion that the lancet-fish [Amphioxus] lives in competition with invertebrates: it shares its habitat with a similar-looking Ophelia, which is quite unlike other annelids, just as the lancet-fish is unlike other fishes.

Summary

Data on good and bad pollen-grain yields of different species. Sends sketches of two male Rhamnus catharticus flowers [see Forms of flowers, p. 294].

Summary

At CD’s request he is looking into the gardeners’ custom of separating all sweetpea varieties in order to obtain pure seed.

Summary

Thanks for observations on dimorphic plants. Dimorphism prevalent in certain groups throughout the world.

Retarded fertilisation in certain orchids.

Summary

Thanks for "Climbing plants" and other papers [as requested in 5316].

Sends specimens of a variety of Primula not mentioned by CD [in Primula paper, Collected papers 2: 45–63?].

Summary

Thanks for observations on orchids.

FM’s paper on climbing plants [see 5146]; CD has received proofs.

Carl Claus’s pamphlet on copepods [Die Copepodenfauna von Nizza (1866)].

Summary

Sends copies of Science gossip and The leisure hour.

Enjoyed visit.

His criticism of Primula fertility referred to table 2 [Collected papers 2: 56] where weight of seeds produced from good pods by long-styled homostylous cross and short-styled heterostylous cross are virtually identical.

Summary

Asks readers to examine the flowers of Oxalis bowei to observe where the summits of the branching stigmas stand with respect to the two sets of anthers. In CD’s plants the stigmas stand beneath the lower anthers, but he believes two other forms exist: long-styled and mid-styled. Would be grateful for flowers of these types so he can fertilise them and obtain seed.

Summary

Sends CD comb of the Chinese honey-bee, as requested.

Summary

Sends packet of Ononis columnae seed and references to the species.