Summary

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.

Summary

Experiments on sensitive plants.

Summary

Reply to CD’s letter in Nature ["Flowers of the primrose", Collected papers 2: 183–4]. She has a canary that eats primroses.

Summary

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

Has left Delamere and settled on the Isle of Wight.

Summary

Thanks for issue of Anthropologia. Would be pleased if CD would write to Murray on his behalf.

Summary

Encloses a report on state of appeal for Naples Zoological Station.

Summary

Reports results of experiments comparing digestibility of gluten and fibrin for CD’s work on Drosera.

Summary

Encloses letter and sketch from O. N. Rood on pointed ears.

Reports observations on Sarracenia variolaris. A correspondent finds that the fluid in the pitchers is anaesthetic and that a sweet trail runs down the plant, nearly to the ground, to lure up ants.

Encloses two articles on insectivorous plants [Nation 18 (1874): 216–17, 232–4].

Summary

Bernard Quaritch interested in reprinting Primitive marriage.

Summary

Reports on his examination of the effects of Drosera secretion on tooth enamel and dentine, and of artificial gastric juice on fibrous basis of bone.

Summary

Sends the 1872 Report of the U. S. Geological Survey of the Territories, for which he was zoologist.

Most American naturalists support CD. His study of ornithology convinced him.

Lepus bairdii has a distribution limited to Yellowstone Lake.

No doubt CD knows of O. C. Marsh’s horse fossils.

Summary

Sends Edinburgh address so he may be sent sheets of Descent [2d English, for 3d German ed.].

Has a large class for his lectures.

Summary

Comments on his examination of slides [of milk casein?] sent by CD.

Surprised by CD’s finding that a drop of one per cent hydrochloric acid stops digestion of albumen by Drosera.

Summary

Sends his paper ["On secondary sexual characters in the Cheiroptera", Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. (1873): 241–52]

and some of his observations of the gecko, which appear to contradict CD’s opinion.

Summary

Sends CD photograph of a "natural curiosity", a bear apparently "painted" with red iron on the face of a soft rock; has also sent copies to a few U. S. scientists.

Summary

Regret at reading of Huxley’s death [a false report].

Summary

Sends CD provisional information that artificial gastric juice dissolves bone entirely and that gluten and fibrin are completely dissolved in hydrochloric, propionic, and butyric acids. [See Insectivorous plants, pp. 118–19.]