Summary

Lists the tasks he has completed; sends on letter from Romanes; news of Bernard.

Summary

Oliver cannot, as CD has requested, hunt for trimorphic flowers in the Herbarium’s collection of Oxalis specimens. He would help Frank if he comes.

Summary

AdeC’s two letters on bloom will be very useful; his remarks on evaporation and absorption seem very just. CD has made few experiments as yet. The investigation has been tedious and difficult.

Summary

CD’s gardener says not to sow onion seeds until middle of March. Should he risk sowing them at once?

Summary

CD counters Thiselton-Dyer’s objection to protoplasmic filaments of Dipsacus protruding beyond cell-wall, as Frank’s paper claims, by citing white "blood cells passing through vessels".

Has received Moseley’s collection of photographs.

Summary

Thanks for the plants.

Is doubtful whether he will make out anything about "bloom".

Summary

[Draft of letter for Francis Darwin to write to SF.] CD declines to express an opinion on SF’s query.

Summary

FD’s corrections for Orchids [1877] are all very good and useful.

Summary

Is printing a book on dimorphic plants [Forms of flowers] in which he will make considerable use of FM’s work.

Summary

Discusses plants to be sent to Kew.

Thanks for letter about Trifolium

and for R. I. Lynch’s observations on sleep of Erythrina.

Mentions letter from F. J. Cohn, dealing with discovery by Francis Darwin, that CD has had printed in Nature ["The contractile filaments of the teasel", Nature 16 (1877): 339; Collected papers 2: 205–7].

Summary

JDH recounts discussion at Royal Society over Günther’s paper on distribution and affinities of gigantic tortoises ["Description of the living and extinct races of gigantic land-tortoises, Parts III and IV", Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 25 (1876–7): 506–7]. Huxley suggests they are Miocene relics.

Royal Society will publish Frank’s Dipsacus paper [but see 10971 and 11073].

Thiselton-Dyer will review Cross and self-fertilisation.

Summary

Insectivorous plants.

Summary

Accepts CD’s offer to publish his letter, confirming Francis Darwin’s observations [see Collected papers 2: 205–7].

H. Hoffmann’s observations on Amanita contractile filaments must be repeated.

Microscopic examination of secretory gland filaments in Dipsacus leafcups. FD’s pseudopod theory of Dipsacus.

Summary

Observations on a sensitive Mimosa.

Comments on structure and positioning of "odoriferous organs" of moths and butterflies,

and feeding habits of butterfly larvae.

Summary

Will be interested in reading AdeC’s paper on Smilax. The transition from hermaphroditic to unisexual condition is a perplexing problem.

CD agrees that there is much justice in AdeC’s criticism of his use of the terms "object", "end", and "purpose" but thinks "those who believe that organs have been gradually modified by natural selection for a special purpose, may I think use the above terms correctly though no conscious being has intervened".

CD and Francis are hard at work on the function of "bloom" but CD doubts that the experiments will tell them much.

Does AdeC have a decided opinion on whether plants with glaucous leaves are more frequent in hot or dry than in cold or wet countries?

Francis has been getting "striking" results from feeding meat to Drosera.

Summary

CD has again become interested in "bloom" on plants; requests JDH’s help with seeds and plants.

Summary

Would like to see essay [on effects of conscription in France, see 10774]. Knows of Swiss memoir to the same effect. Author says Swiss yeomen apt to leave homestead to sickly son. Landed populations deteriorate.

Summary

Offers to send MS of part of his new book [Life and habit] which gently pokes fun at CD. His book will offer an alternative to Pangenesis.

Summary

CD and Frank working hard on cotyledonary movement.

CD suggests technique for growing Welwitschia.

Approves of J. D. Dana and of O. Heer.