Summary

Asks whether CD has observed that bees limit their visits to a single kind of flower on each journey from the hive, as Aristotle has said they do. What advantage would such a limitation be to the insects?

Summary

Recounts his observations on the different ways bees perforate flowers of white and blue varieties of monkshood. [See Cross and self-fertilisation, p 428.]

Summary

Thanks for Forms of flowers.

Suggests plant hairs protect them from insects either mechanically or by stinging.

Summary

Sends a translation of Aristotle’s De partibus animalium and imagines that if the old teleologist were alive CD would convince him of his errors.

Summary

A friend once "caught" an oyster while fishing, which confirms CD’s note ["On the dispersal of freshwater bivalves", Collected papers 2: 276–8].

Summary

Returns a pamphlet on Salvia [F. Hildebrand, "Über die Befruchtung der Salviaarten" (1865) Jahrb. Wiss. Bot. 4 (1866): 451–78].

Summary

WO very gratified by CD’s complimentary remarks on his Salvia article.

Summary

Sends CD a paper dealing in part with animal pigmentation [Med.-Chir. Trans. 2d ser. 411 [check vol no!?] (1870): 263–90]. Discusses relationship between white colouring and susceptibility to poisonous plants.

Summary

Relates instances of rabbits suffering from a condition which affects only the patches of white on their fur.

Will make observations on the platysma for CD.

Summary

Would be pleased to be visited by CD.

J. Wyman will make observations on black pigs and white pigs in Florida.

Summary

Thanks for Descent.

He believes he has observed a predominance of the right side over the left in monkeys and man. If so, this is another support of their relatedness.

Summary

Thanks for reference to Hermann Müller’s book on fertilisation [Befruchtung der Blumen (1873)].

Summary

Asks whether the twins WO reported to CD [see 5470] were named Macrae. F. Galton has told him of a similar case with twins so named who inherited crooked little fingers from the maternal side [see Variation, 2d ed., 2: 240]. [The twins referred to by WO were actually his sisters, see 10170.]

Summary

From Galton’s "twin study" he suspects that some progenitor of WO’s had the peculiarities in question.

Has collected cases of signs of assent for a revised edition of Expression.

Suggests bees visit same species because they know how far to insert proboscis and thus save time.

Summary

Would like to cite WO’s case of bees perforating white but not blue monkshood (Aconitum napellus) in his next book [Cross and self-fertilisation, pp. 427–8]. Believes it is probably sterile if insects are excluded.

Summary

Is glad WO is undertaking the editing of Anton Kerner’s book [Schutzmittel der Blüthen gegen unberufene Gäste (1876)], which appears to open out "highly original & curious fields of research". [Used as prefatory letter to Kerner, Flowers and their unbidden guests, The translation revised and edited by W. Ogle (1878).]

Summary

Thanks for his translation of [Anton] Kerner [Flowers and their unbidden guests: the translation revised and edited by W. Ogle (1878)].

Summary

Thanks WO for advice and assistance for his son, Horace.

Has read Kerner’s book [see 11666]; finds the translation "as clear as daylight" but fears it is too good for the English public who like "very washy food".

Summary

Thanks WO for copying and translating [unspecified] passages. CD knew nothing about them, but doubts they are of real use. Passage about summer solstice may indicate something new.

Summary

Thanks WO for gift of his translation [Aristotle’s De partibus animalium]. Suspects the introduction would interest him more than the text "notwithstanding that he [Aristotle] was such a wonderful old fellow".