Summary

Thanks for CD’s favourable opinion of his book [Les fourmis de la Suisse (1874)]. Habits of ants; observations on their carrying empty eggs.

Summary

Thanks for letter and seeds.

Asks that Hooker return references about plants eating insects.

Discusses Pinguicula.

Summary

Thanks JDH for extract on Hedychium pollination; it shows CD’s prior interpretation was incorrect.

Summary

Praises JF’s book [Cosmic philosophy (1874)].

Has long wished to understand H. Spencer but is not convinced by him and some others. CD cannot trust deduction from a starting principle, as his mind is so fixed by the inductive method.

Summary

Writes about AHF’s book on Swiss ants.

Recounts his own observations on ants carrying cocoons.

Summary

Advice to GHD on whether to accept invitation to lecture at the Royal Institution.

Murray has sent the Quarterly Review issue. CD has told Murray that he is convinced Mivart is the author and what he thinks of him.

Summary

Prefaces Fritz Müller’s observations on termites and stingless bees [see 9281].

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

Likes GHD’s article ["Professor Whitney on the origin of language", Contemp. Rev. (1874): 894]. "You have defended me nobly."

Summary

Asks what proportion of leaves of Pinguicula have insects adhering to them. Also, whether seeds of any plants ever adhere to the leaves, and in what situations does P. vulgaris grow.

Summary

Will do experiments CD suggests.

Is sending his book on the poisonous snakes of India [The Thanatophidia of India (1872)].

Summary

Has written to J. Murray to have account of the Zoological Station inserted in the Murray guidebook.

The circular about the Station has been printed; some have already signed.

Received R. Kossman’s paper on Anelasma ["Untersuchungen über die durch Parasitismus hervorgerufenen Umbildungen in der Familie der Pedunculata", Verh. Phys.-med. Ges. Würz. N. F. 5 (1874): 129–57]. The case is the most interesting ever recorded of gradation, i.e., from an animal with a stomach to one with roots like a plant.

Delighted he will examine the complemental males of Scalpellum.

Summary

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

Summary

Delighted to hear about Coronilla. Urges publication ["Fertilisation of papilionaceous flowers– Coronilla", Nature 10 (1874): 169–70].

Summary

His note on the brain should be in small type.

Glad CD agrees with him on hand, foot, and skull question.

Has heard from Dohrn.

Summary

Identifies seeds adhering to leaves of Pinguicula [see Insectivorous plants, p. 369].

Summary

JDH should do as he likes with insectivorous plant materials.

He has always thought telling JDH what he has been doing was as good as publishing.

Cephalotus seems as horrid a puzzle as Utricularia.

Nepenthes will turn out a great job if the pitchers of different species act differently. JDH’s paper on Nepenthes [Rep. BAAS 44 (1874): 102–16] is too long for CD’s book. Well deserves a place in Philosophical Transactions.

Summary

GHD’s corrections seem very good. Murray hopes there will be few corrections in Descent. CD assured him no changes have been made merely for improving style.

Wants very much to hear about "the terrible cousin affair".

Summary

Has not heard from Mivart. He is not so good a Christian as JDH and cannot forgive a man for malicious lying merely because he says he is sorry. Does not think Mivart will apologise. Still thinks the simple, most manly thing, is to write to Mivart directly and tell him what he thinks of him.

Summary

Writes about instructions to compositor and return of proofs [of Descent]. Requests return of 2d volume of Descent, to which he may want to refer.