Summary

Asks LJ which British birds are polygamous. His query relates to the possession by the male of secondary sexual characters.

CD is also interested in the numerical proportion of the sexes in birds.

Asks about the use of the horns in male lamellicorn or coprophagous beetles.

Summary

Thanks AG for Animaux fossiles et géologie de l’Attique [1862–7]. Refers to Lyell’s quotation from AG as "one of the most striking I have ever read on the affiliation of Species".

Summary

Is interested in the relative numbers of males and females of all animals; wants any instances of males, or females, being in excess.

Summary

Requests 50 copies of his paper ["Offspring of illegitimate unions of di- and trimorphic plants", J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.) 10 (1869): 393–437].

Summary

Returns volumes of the Ibis.

Requests T. C. Jerdon’s Birds of India

and Thomas Bell’s British reptiles

as well as vols. 5 & 6 of Ibis.

Summary

CD relays the advice of Sir W. R. Grove on the dismal prospects of a law career.

Summary

Thanks RT for drawings of ocelli, especially for the description of ocelli of S. African Saturniidae. Would like to know of any cases in which the ocelli are confined to the male, to illustrate better the case of the peacock.

Summary

CD arranges for copies of some blocks [for use in Descent] from Brehm’s [Illustrirtes Thierleben (1864–7)].

Summary

Asks about proportions of male to female insects.

Summary

CD thanks JBI for contribution to Down school.

George [Darwin] has passed his examination at Cambridge;

Henrietta has been poorly.

Summary

Feels there is little he could say as a testimonial for HMJ.

Summary

Questions from CD related to bird plumage and sexual differences, with answers by EB.

Summary

Discusses tuition arrangements for Horace Darwin.

Summary

Asks for [John?] Smith’s exact count of seeds of the crossed and self-fertilised Victoria water-lily. Similar question on Euryale seed and seedlings.

JDH’s coming [BAAS] Presidential Address.

Summary

Thanks for congratulations on Francis Darwin’s success in the tripos examinations at the university of Cambridge.

The king of Prussia has awarded him the order Pour le Mérite für Wissenschaften und Künste.

Summary

Sends Ernst Haeckel’s [Generelle] Morphologie [1866] and C. K. Sprengel’s book [Entdeckte Geheimniss der Natur (1793)].

A. Gaudry and L. Rütimeyer have declared in favour of CD’s views.

Summary

"I have seen the action on Ophrys exactly as you describe and am thoroughly ashamed of my inaccuracy."

Summary

CD seeks information on the variation of ocelli within species of butterflies.

Summary

Comments on THF’s MS [on fertilisation of scarlet runners]. Suggests publication, though CD anticipated main features ten years before. Is amused at the caution with which THF put his case that the final end [of the contrivances] was crossing distinct individuals.

Summary

Thanks AdeC for his long letter full of interesting facts, which will be of great use if a new edition [of Variation] is demanded.

As for when CD will publish on variation in a state of nature: he has had the MS almost ready for several years but Variation fatigued him so much

that "I determined to amuse myself by publishing a short essay on the Descent of Man".

AdeC will have plenty of time to publish his views. Asks permission to quote AdeC on a case of inheritance of scalp-muscles [see Descent 1: 20].

Hooker has expressed a view, similar to AdeC’s, "that morals & politics would be very interesting if discussed like any branch of Natural History".

Agrees with AdeC on acclimatisation

and on graft-hybrids.

CD is repeating Hildebrand’s method in producing graft-hybrid potatoes.

As for Pangenesis, very few people approve of it though it has some enthusiastic friends and CD has much faith in its vitality.