Summary

Suggests an explanation for difference in excitability of Drosera leaves to meat and albumen on the one hand and, on the other, fibrin, areolar tissue, gelatin, and fibrous basis of bone.

Summary

Thanks for MS which he intends to read while on a week’s holiday.

Sends thanks for Francis Darwin’s offer of help and says that Francis’s experiments on digestion are complete.

Summary

Will prepare experiments with the fatty acids on digestion of gluten. Has found it is digested slowly, but entirely, with pepsin and hydrochloric acid.

Summary

Is delighted to hear that Pinguicula and Drosera digest fibrin. Suggests diluting gluten in weak hydrochloric acid to remove starch. Enamel was nearly digested [by Drosera] overnight. Would like to try separating the digestive ferment of Pinguicula.

Summary

Reports results of experiments comparing digestibility of gluten and fibrin for CD’s work on Drosera.

Summary

Sends results of experiments on digestion. Encloses two sets of notes: "Experiments on the digestibility of certain preparations sent by Mr Darwin" and "Note for Mr Darwin" [marked by CD for insertion in ch. 6 of Insectivorous plants].

Summary

Sends CD provisional information that artificial gastric juice dissolves bone entirely and that gluten and fibrin are completely dissolved in hydrochloric, propionic, and butyric acids. [See Insectivorous plants, pp. 118–19.]

Summary

Responds to CD’s questions about relation to gelatin of areolar tissue, fibrous basis of bone, and other substances CD is using in his work on digestion of Drosera.

Summary

Purpose of experiments was to determine digestive activity of liquids containing pepsin. Gives required amounts of hydrochloric, propionic, butyric and valerianic acids. Describes experiment and gives results. Also experimented on digestive activity of butyric acid at greater temperatures than the termperature of the body.

Summary

Reports on his examination of the effects of Drosera secretion on tooth enamel and dentine, and of artificial gastric juice on fibrous basis of bone.

Summary

Sends cartilage from cat’s ear, the elastic fibres of which will probably resist digestion [by Drosera]. Is preparing fibro-cartilage, which he expects will be digested easily. [See Insectivorous plants, p. 104.]

Summary

Describes his work on Nepenthes.

Cephalotus is a beast.

His address is a history of Dionaea, Sarracenia, and Drosera.

Thiselton-Dyer has helped enormously except with the observations; but his health is so poor that JDH thinks he is "evidently cut out for a Literate not a working botanist".

Summary

Forwards a letter reporting on a blow-fly trapped by a leaf of Dionaea; decomposition of fly has also decomposed the leaf. JDH has written asking for a strong plant, and explaining the case [of surfeit].

Summary

A hasty answer to CD’s letter [8987] of 25 July. Mentions Dr Osler’s observations on behaviour of colourless blood corpuscles in solutions of sodium and potassium salts of same strength.

Summary

An account of his observations on Aldrovanda and Utricularia.

Sends CD his memoir on Aldrovanda [Beitr. Biol. Pflanz. 1 (1875) Heft 3: 71–92] in advance of publication [see Insectivorous plants, pp. 321 et seq., 395–6].

Summary

Agrees with CD on vivisection. Will communicate with Burdon Sanderson and see what can be done.

Mivart’s wriggle.

Summary

Stupefied by CD’s trouble and kindness. All he wanted for Belfast meeting was assurance that mention of published work on Drosera, etc., in Nature, etc., would not interfere with CD’s book.

Would like his Nepenthes results to go to CD or to Royal Society, but prefers CD take them.

Cephalotus very puzzling.

Peas and cabbage grow twice as fast after two days’ immersion in Nepenthes as when placed in distilled water, but four days’ immersion seems to kill them.

Has a splendid Australian Drosera twice as big as D. rotundifolia.