Summary

Suggests a reference to Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 1 Dec 1873, p. 497, when THF takes up Coronilla.

Summary

His indignation at the malignant, odious, hypocrite Owen’s attack on JDH. History of Secretaryship [of Royal Society in Nature 9 (1873): 129–30] was best answer to Owen.

Is hard at work on new edition of Descent – a truly awful job.

No use going on with experiments on effects of water on bloom-divested leaves. May have erred. Or it may be that water is only injurious when there is a good supply of actinic rays. Will wait until spring.

Summary

Thanks CGE for gift of his latest work [Mikrogeologische Studien (1873)].

Summary

Illustrates, with reference to different species of Gasteria, the role of twisting in the development of leaf arrangement.

Summary

Thanks for copy of translation of Variation

and the "admirable work on the microscopical structure of rock" [C. G. Ehrenberg, Mikrogeologische Studien (1873)].

Summary

The case of the bees interests CD. He does not doubt that because of the size of their jaws humble-bees will be found all over the world to be the biters and hive-bees to profit from their work.

Thinks he has heard of land shells descending in the manner described by RS.

Summary

Will do what he can to help JC-B with his work on expression of patients suffering from general paralysis.

Summary

Obliged for letter about horns of sheep.

Mentions case of death from objects impacted in appendix.

Is aware of his error about snipe breeding.

Summary

Sorry to hear of Dohrn’s troubles. Has written to prospective donors saying that nothing can be done because of attitude of Dohrn’s father.

New [2d] edition of Descent is an awful job.

Diet no longer doing much for his health.

Summary

Concerning secretion of "bloom";

movements of Robinia.

Summary

Is interested in comparative nutritive values of chondrin and gelatin. The former seems to excite Drosera more, though albumen does so to a higher degree than either. Also asks if chlorophyll is digested by animals; Drosera digests it hardly at all.

Summary

Expresses his opinion that the Board should allow the school hall to be used as a reading room in the evenings by the villagers of Down.

Summary

Wishes to identify a species of Cassia whose movements interest him.

Summary

Sends observations from a friend in India confirming CD’s view that bees cut the tubes of flowers to extract [nectar] in order to save time.

Also observations on snails descending from trees on threads suspended from their tails.

Summary

Thanks FdeC for his note and invites criticisms.

Summary

Discusses speech of parrots and starling. [See Descent, 2d ed., p. 85 n.]

Summary

Suggests that his Coral reefs be republished.

Summary

Discusses variation and selection in Harz canaries.

Summary

Offers to experiment on the digestibility of chondrin and chlorophyll by Dionaea for CD.

Has noticed that painters depicting complex expressions give different expressions to the two sides of the face.

Summary

A letter from Anton Dohrn declines the proposed fund [that THH and others suggested be raised in England for marine biological station at Naples].

Hooker’s inaugural as President of Royal Society a success.

R. Owen distinguished himself in his way.