My dear Sir

I rec^d y^r letter of July 17 two months ago, but did not answer it sooner, partly because you said you were starting for the interior & c^d not attend to science,¹ & partly because I have been working so very hard at my book.²

At last it will be finished & published towards the end of this month.³ It consists of 2 vols 8vo. which shall of course be sent to you by post direct to Itajahy S^t Caterina Brazil.⁴ In your last letter you give me various interesting details on dimorphic plants,⁵—on the orchid with lateral fertile anthers⁶ & on sexual differences in crustacea⁷—for all of which I heartily thank you. The Borrerias are growing well⁸ & Cocopizum (or some such name) has just germinated.⁹ These with the Plumbago will give me a rich harvest next summer.¹⁰ The Gesnerias are now in flower; there is much difference according to the age of the flower, & the individual, in the length of the pistil; but now two plants have appeared with pistils so extraordinarily long that I begin to think the species must be dimorphic.¹¹ Escholtzia Californica has proved with me self-fertile; therefore your experiment w^d be worth trying again.¹² From what you will see in my book about Passiflora, it w^d be interesting to observe whether any not annual endemic species is self-sterile like your orchids.¹³ You might like to hear about Adenanthera; I wrote to India on the subject.¹⁴

I hear from M^r J. Scott that Parrots are eager for the seeds; & wonderful as the fact is, can split them open with their beaks; They first collect a large number in their beaks & then settle themselves to split them, & in doing this drop many;¹⁵ thus I have no doubt they are disseminated, on the same principle that the acorns of our oaks are most widely disseminated. I hope you will prosper in y^r wild home, & hereafter find much of interest to observe.

Believe me | my dear Sir | yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

P.S. A new part of Hooker & Bentham’s Botany has come out & I hope has been sent to you, but I will before long make enquiries.¹⁶