Summary

Sends abstract of Martin Ziegler’s paper on sensitive movements in Drosera ["Sur un fait physiologique observé sur des feuilles de Drosera", C. R. Hebd. Acad. Sci. 74 (1872): 1227–9].

JTM’s experiments with formic acid and ants have failed to reveal the secret of the ants, but have taught him a great deal about germination.

Summary

Will do experiments CD suggests.

Is sending his book on the poisonous snakes of India [The Thanatophidia of India (1872)].

Summary

Extract from the Honolulu Gazette on the decreasing population of the Sandwich Islands.

Summary

Thanks GdeS for his "Études sur la végétation" [Ann. Sci. Nat. (Bot.) 5th ser. 15 (1872): 277–315]. "Nothing can be more important … than your evidence of the extremely slow and gradual manner in which specific forms change."

Hopes GdeS will shed light on whether polymorphic forms like Rubus and Hieracium are generating new species at present; CD doubts this.

Summary

French translation of Expression sent for CD’s approval.

Summary

Would be interesting to discuss political economy in light of evolution. Recommends Walter Bagehot Physics and politics [1872] and Descent in which source of moral sense is discussed.

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

Thanks for the acid digestion experiments, which can be printed as they are. CD trying Drosera on dentine and enamel.

Summary

Statement of U. S. sales of Origin, Expression, and Descent.

Summary

Russian Expression has sold nearly 2000 copies.

Plans to come to England to study collections of vertebrate fossils from the Chalk. This will complement his work in the south of France.

Summary

Asks for the specific gravity of common phosphate of ammonia.

Summary

Discusses digestion by insectivorous plants, asks JSBS to try same experiments using pepsin as the digestive agent to see how the results compare with CD’s observations on digestive power of Drosera.

Summary

Criticises paper by Ziegler [see 9339].

Acid experiments on seeds have failed.

Summary

Thanks CHM for a report about birds of the United States [see 9461].

Summary

The occurrence and prevention of scale in boilers.

Anxious to hear Murray’s reply [to CD’s letter 9598].

Summary

Notes recent confirmation of CD’s views on subsidence in [island of] St Jago.

Describes Carboniferous strata discovered on Island of Mull by J. W. Judd. Contained evidence of Miocene sinking of volcanoes.

Summary

Proposal to collect all of CD’s works in a German edition. Asks CD’s opinion and suggests an outline of volumes.

Lists German sales of various volumes.

Summary

Has ordered James Clerk Maxwell’s book [On the stability of the motion of Saturn’s rings (1859)] as a present for Sofya Kovalevsky.

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

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.