Summary

Sends report on an infant with congenital heart disease who died at ten months. Post-mortem showed it had the "heart of a fish": two cavities, one auricle and one ventricle.

Summary

Promises answers to CD queries on dogs.

Enclosure 1: G. A. Graham responds to CD’s questions (transmitted by GC) on greyhound breeding and proportion of sexes reared.

Enclosure 2: J. W. Robertson’s general rule has been to preserve male deerhound puppies in preference to females.

Enclosure 3: Proportion of sexes in dog litters [for Descent, 2d ed.] from W. Forbes.

Summary

Has rewritten paper on leaf arrangement after criticism by Royal Society referees. Has found new factor influencing leaf arrangement, i.e., spontaneous variability in the number of vertical leaf-ranks.

Summary

Wishes CD could publish Origin with footnotes.

Increases in bird populations: starlings are increasing, but AN cannot give reason; mistletoe-thrush increasing but not ousting song-thrush. Doubts trustworthiness of [George?] Edwards, CD’s authority in Origin on this matter [see Origin, 6th ed., p. 59].

AN opposed to bird protection legislation to prohibit egging. Argues egging does not decrease number of birds.

Summary

Will be out of town, so he cannot vote for Henry Parker.

CD ought to come to see his Cetiosaurus, of which he draws a likeness.

Summary

Asks for a reference for Charles Pearson, who has applied to be appointed an agent for the Company.

Summary

Proposal to collect all of CD’s works in a German edition. Asks CD’s opinion and suggests an outline of volumes.

Lists German sales of various volumes.

Summary

Thanks CD for his opinion on egging. Despite the intensity of the practice sufficient eggs always remain to carry on the breed.

Summary

Reports the balloting [for Henry Parker at the Athenaeum?] went off just right.

Summary

Relates the case of a woman from the Caucasus whose hair would frequently stand on end and who later went insane.

Summary

Sends his paper ["Tidal action as a geological cause", Proc. Liverpool Geol. Soc. 2 (1874): 50–72].

Has not yet studied CD’s list of South American molluscs.

Summary

Thanks for MS which he intends to read while on a week’s holiday.

Sends thanks for Francis Darwin’s offer of help and says that Francis’s experiments on digestion are complete.

Summary

"Half an answer" to CD’s query on visit of Sphinx to Hedychium gardnerianum.

Business affairs and family ill health keep him busy.

G. J. Allman will succeed Bentham as President of Linnean Society. Busk has refused.

Huxley is well.

JDH has indoctrinated Sir Stafford Northcote with his merits.

Lyell frail.

Old J. E. Gray goes on publishing.

"Is not [Thomas] Belt splendid!"

Summary

On EA’s persecution by new government for liberal–republican position of his Revues; threat to remove him from Faculté de Droit, unless he renounces relations with Revues or changes their politics.

Has reviewed CD’s Orchids.

Summary

Sends results of experiments on digestion. Encloses two sets of notes: "Experiments on the digestibility of certain preparations sent by Mr Darwin" and "Note for Mr Darwin" [marked by CD for insertion in ch. 6 of Insectivorous plants].

Summary

His note on brain [in man and apes for 2d ed. of Descent] nearly finished.

Has heard nothing about Dohrn.

THH has been invited to lecture in America.

Summary

Sends old Japanese picture suggesting evolution, found by Charles Longfellow.

Is pleased to hear CD attended a séance [18 Jan 1874]; asks for his views about communication among spirits.

Summary

Is willing to sell the land CD wants for £300.

Summary

Hopes to visit CD during a stay in London.

Summary

Just back from Gold Coast.

Would like to become a member of the Royal Institution.