Summary

A reply to CD’s inquiry in Gardeners’ Chronicle [Collected papers 2: 135]. The proportion of females to males in lambs of highland black-faced sheep.

Sends paper on conditions that favour predominance of plants.

Summary

On the proportion of sexes in salmon, trout, and rats. [see Descent 1: 305, 308.]

Summary

Encloses table showing proportion of sexes in Rutland.

Summary

Proportion of sexes in insects, captured and bred. [see Descent 1: 313.]

Summary

Thanks CD for second issue of Variation.

Is glad CD is satisfied with his translation of Piderit.

Will not start on Müller [Für Darwin] until CD has communicated with the author.

Summary

Sends extracts giving details of the case of age-limited, hereditary blindness [see Variation 2: 78].

Recounts some cases of reversion that he has encountered.

Summary

Replies to CD on proportion of sexes in butterflies, coloration of moths, and courtship. Encloses copies of letters on these subjects between HTS, Henry Doubleday, and John Hellins.

Summary

Aggressive behaviour of a bullfinch toward new arrival in JJW’s aviary.

Sexual differences in goldfinches: size of beaks.

Sexual selection in Lepidoptera.

Thinks Dr Alex Wallace’s observations on Bombyx not conclusive in proving that no preference is shown by females.

Summary

Action of facial muscles at onset of crying.

Summary

Offers enclosure demonstrating that natural selection could produce sterility of hybrids.

More on Pangenesis and the inadequacy of H. Spencer’s approach.

Summary

Is engaged on an article for Fortnightly Review on Variation ["Mr Darwin’s hypotheses", n.s. 9: 353–73, 611–28; n.s. 10: 61–80, 492–509]. Asks CD some questions.

While he agrees with natural selection, he believes many "organic details" develop irrespective of advantage.

Summary

Canine teeth in males are always larger than in females and certainly so in Cervulus moschus.

Summary

Asks CD to collect from the Jermyn Street Museum a box containing a skull and bones which belong to Mr Cumberbatch.

Summary

Now quite understands Pangenesis. Satisfaction given by it, as CD says, may depend on one’s mental constitution. In all cases of descent JDH has always thought "all the properties of the parents are transmitted in the one cell and were diffused to every part of the future offspring".

Tyndall believes he feels atoms as firmly as St Paul believed he saw Christ.

Summary

JM offers a note for 400 guineas as author’s payment on sale of 1250 copies of 2d issue of Variation.

Summary

Quotes information from Dr Power on colour of sexes of Crustacea in Mauritius [see Descent 1: 335].

Summary

Sends copy of a paper on his flock of sheep, which confirms much of what CD says in Variation,

together with a note he made of an instance of cattle "determining the existence" of a tree [cf. Origin, ch. 3].

Summary

Proportions of sexes of the silkworm are about equal, but knows of no statistics.

Cannot share his view of origin of species.

Summary

Crying in babies.

Summary

Visiting W. D. Fox.

Sends specimen of Cardamine pratensis,

and an account of a striped horse.

Discusses Pangenesis.

Has returned to religion and has been reflecting on God’s mercies, one of which CD should remember from about 1828 at Bodnant.