Summary

Sends cherry blossoms damaged by birds in response to CD’s letter in Nature ["Flowers of the primrose", Collected papers 2: 183–4].

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Asks CD’s support for his application for the Chair of Geology at Oxford.

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Bullfinches’ instinctive capacity for removing nectaries from cowslips.

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Further particulars on pea-fowl.

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Thanks for recent edition of CD’s Journal of researches.

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Thanks for letter relating to domesticated bullfinches’ instinctively cutting off cowslips [see 9430]. Suggests observing whether the birds swallow any part of flower or particular parts.

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Observations on early shedding of tears and shrugging of shoulders.

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Asks CHM to send his paper.

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Agrees to sign FDeC’s certificate for admission to the Royal Society.

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Variation in bullfinches’ instinctive ability to remove nectaries and ovaries from cowslips.

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He was chagrined to read in Descent CD’s statement that smallpox vaccine has saved thousands of lives. He has found no scientific reason to believe in the prophylactic effect of the vaccine. In epidemic of 1870–1, smallpox killed more vaccinated persons than were killed by cholera, against which there is no vaccine, in 1853–4. Cites the difficulties in arriving at a conclusive proof of vaccine’s effectiveness.

Summary

CD’s theory has his qualified support.

He suggests the inheritance of syphilis as an example of sexual selection.

Gives an example of inherited expression in his wife’s and daughter’s frowns.

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Experiments on sensitive plants.

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Returns FDeC’s certificate for the Royal Society signed.

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CD’s son Horace wishes to continue at Easton and Anderson’s Works. CD trusts they will not bind him to long hours of work as this would be against medical advice.

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Thanks for the acid digestion experiments, which can be printed as they are. CD trying Drosera on dentine and enamel.

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Would like to see C. S. Wake’s paper ["Marriage among primitive peoples", Anthropologia 1 (1873–5): 197–207].

Will return L. H. Morgan’s work [? Systems of consanguinity (1871)].

Murray suggests Macmillan’s are more likely to reprint JFMcL’s Primitive marriage.

Summary

Studying glacial drift in NW. England, he finds evidence of intense glacial activity, but the molluscan fauna does not appear to indicate a low sea temperature. Requests information on Tierra del Fuego molluscs for comparison.

Summary

Would be interesting to discuss political economy in light of evolution. Recommends Walter Bagehot Physics and politics [1872] and Descent in which source of moral sense is discussed.

Summary

Has left Delamere and settled on the Isle of Wight.