Summary

His impression is that male rats outnumber females. Males are pugnacious and polygamous. Gives details of the inheritance of colour in a colony he kept.

Summary

Full background on the difficulties of the vicarage of Down.

Summary

Congratulates CD on election of his son [George] as a Fellow of Trinity College.

Describes his ill health.

Invites CD to visit Cambridge.

[Letter dated November in error.]

Summary

Responds to CD’s queries on polygamy in birds and orang.

Discusses sexual selection and secondary characters; colours and sexual preference.

Expresses his admiration for Pangenesis; it is superior to Herbert Spencer’s theory.

ARW differs somewhat with CD’s chapter on causes of variability [ch. 22 in Variation]. Thinks several of CD’s arguments are unsound.

Briefly discusses how natural selection might aid in producing sterility between allied species.

Summary

CD thought Watson’s article beastly in its criticisms of JDH. Watson’s criticism of CD was not new or important, but fair, so CD could honestly thank him, adding his regret at what was said about JDH.

Is sitting for Woolner bust.

Has read James Croll on alternation of glacial and warmer periods in north and south, which would remove JDH’s objections to cool period extending to equator.

Summary

Has often thought CD would find vast material for his ideas in study of entomology and Lepidoptera. His price-list of specimens proves only that collectors of Lepidoptera catch more males than females, not that there are more. He accounts for this by the less active habits of the females. [See Descent 1: 312.]

Summary

Thanks CD for copy of Variation.

CD’s work on pigeons demonstrates the close relationship between modifications in soft tissues and the hard parts, which are the only ones we possess in the fossil state.

Summary

Thanks for the pamphlets; JL’s paper, "Primitive condition of man" [Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 6 (1868): 328].

Summary

The election of 1868.

Remarkable deflection of the plummet observed east of Forres.

Summary

Pairing habits of birds: polygamy among ducks and canaries.

Information on the proportion of sexes in fowls and other birds.

Summary

Thanks for Emanuel Bonavia’s letter on a Laburnum monster.

Summary

Thanks for Variation.

Summary

WDF’s letter gives CD the kind of facts he wants. His story about peacocks is so good that CD will quote it [Descent 2: 46].

Pleased WDF approves of his book [Variation]

– "beloved Pangenesis disagrees badly with many".

Summary

Thanks for loan of Variation. "The Saturday Sadducees" do not believe there are a hundred people who understand the argument. EC fancies he does.

Summary

Suggests possible arbitrators to act in a business transaction involving WED.

Summary

Gustavus Hinrichs is also a [not highly regarded] correspondent of JT’s; he will put GH’s papers on the table at Royal Institution to ease CD’s conscience.

Dined with the Asa Grays at Hooker’s. Told Mrs Gray that CD’s ill health was a benefit because it caused him to ponder a great deal.

Summary

Sexual behaviour of chaffinches.

Numbers of female linnets in September.

His experiments on brightly coloured larvae [as food], testing A. R. Wallace’s theory.

His observations of a rookery make him wonder whether it may not be more difficult than we think for birds to pair.

Summary

Surprised and pleased JBI liked his "big book" [Variation].

Luckily, naturalists do not seem to think he has committed suicide with the work.

CD wants to turn over the school accounts to John Robinson [curate of Down]. Writes of other parish news.

Will vote in person for Sir John Lubbock.

Summary

Is doing a British Flora [The student’s flora of the British Islands (1870)], for students, more scientific and more complete than former editions.

His opinion of Bentham’s [British] Flora [1858].

On Croll’s extension of glaciers – a huge relief to get rid of simultaneous cooling of the whole globe.

Watson’s garbling of passage in JDH’s Flora Indica is unprincipled.

Summary

Writes about difficulties in which S. J. O. Horsman, curate at Down, has involved himself and others. Horsman has said he would resign. JBI offers to give up his interests in the living at Down.