Gentlemen,

Having drawn up some notes for a French translation of my work ‘On the various contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilized by Insects’ (1862), it has appeared to me that these notes would be worth publishing in English.¹ I have thus been able to bring up the literature of the subject to the present day, by giving references to, together with very brief abstracts of, all the papers published since my work appeared. These papers contain, on the one hand, corrections of some serious errors into which I had fallen, and, on the other hand, confirmations of many of my statements. I have also been able to add, from my own observations and those of others, a few new facts of interest. A heading is given to each note, which will show the nature of the correction or addition, without any reference to my book; but I have added in a parenthesis the page to which the note ought to be appended.²

Gentlemen, | Your obedient Servant, | Charles Darwin.

Down, Beckenham, Kent.

July 23, 1869.