Summary

Has read abstract of JL’s paper ["On the present state of archaeological science", Athenæum 21 July 1866, pp. 79–82] and praises it.

Summary

Asks JL to look up a paper by Thomas Hincks on Polyzoa or Bryozoa [Q. J. Microsc. Sci. 2d ser. 1 (1861): 278–81].

Summary

Did not think JDH had written Murray review [see 5217].

Does not think Gardeners’ Chronicle best for publication of "Insular floras" [Gard. Chron. (1867): 6–7, 27, 50–1, 75–6].

T. Laxton’s article, on direct action of pollen of peas on seed and pod, a grand physiological fact and "delightful" for Pangenesis.

Interview with Herbert Spencer.

Summary

Hooker’s lecture to BAAS ["Insular floras"] was capital,

but hears Wallace’s paper [Address to Anthropology Section, Rep. BAAS 36 (1866): 93–4] was best.

Pleased RS continues zealous work for natural history.

CD considers the report that N. American antelopes’ horns are intermediate between hollow and solid horns of ruminants to be one of the more curious facts he has lately heard of with respect to higher animals [C. A. Canfield, "On the habits of the prongbuck", Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. (1866): 105–11].

Summary

Family news. Describes [final] illness of Susan Darwin [d. 3 Oct 1866]. CD’s health better.

Making rapid progress on Variation.

Has heard of hybrids between moths mentioned by WDF.

Work on [4th] edition of Origin has delayed Variation.

Summary

Balbiani’s puzzling observations on Aphis.

Summary

On various subjects: Dana’s misquotations,

H. J. Clark’s book Mind in nature [1865],

BDW’s Cynips experiments, galls,

Balbiani’s paper on aphids ["Sur la reproduction et l’embryogénie des pucerons", C. R. Hebd. Acad. Sci. 62 (1866): 1231–4, 1285–9, 1390–4].

Claus and other Germans testing CD’s views of variability in common lower animals.

Summary

Orders Richard Owen’s Anatomy of vertebrates [1866–8],

subscribes to Annals and Magazine of Natural History,

and orders three back numbers of Medical Times and Gazette.