Dear Sir.

I am glad to hear that you have arrived safely in Brazil & are hard at work— I hope & believe that you will make many interesting & new observations— I think that you are wise to attend to the orders of Insects, which have been generally neglected—² I suppose that amongst other points, Fritz Müller was thinking of the Ants which live in little cavities or cells in the leaves of the Melastomaceae—³ The manner of fertilization & the meaning of the 2 very different sets of Anthers in the flowers of the plants of this order would be worth attending to— I have experimented on these plants in hot houses with but little success—⁴ If by any chance you should come across any heterostyled annual or herbaceous plant & could send me seeds I should be glad of them, so as to raise illegitimate seedlings & test their fertility.⁵

I have directed my publisher to send you a copy of my last book, in which I was aided by my son Francis who is now working at Strasburg under De Bary.⁶

I received & was much interested by your paper on the several forms of reproduction⁷

I heartily wish you health & success, I do not think the want of books will be so serious an evil as you suppose—, for collecting & still more observing & making notes will fill up your whole time— I do not believe that Wallace Bates or Belt read much (nor did I) whilst at work in S. America.⁸

I remain Dear Sir. | Yours faithfully. | Charles Darwin.