Summary

Thanks CD for one of his books.

Summary

Much obliged for seeds. Will expose seeds to chemical vapours.

Comments on JTM’s spider experiments.

Summary

CD has discovered correspondent intends to present a petition to the House of Commons on which CD’s is the sole signature. Asks that his name be erased unless other signatures are added.

Summary

Gives some information on variation of ocelli between sexes in butterfly species.

Proposes publishing a series of papers on mimicry.

Summary

On ocelli and relation to sexual selection;

instance of rejection of male by female butterfly.

Summary

Comments on article ["Perception and instinct in lower animals", Nature 7 (1871): 377–8].

Explains his contention that "many of the most wonderful instincts have been acquired, independently of habit, through the preservation of useful variations of pre-existing instincts". Cites examples: sterile workers of several species of social insects have acquired different instincts; movements of tumbler pigeons. Speculates that "many instincts have originated from modification or variations in the brain".

Summary

Missed hostile review of Expression in Edinburgh Review. Agrees it might be by J. H. Stirling [see 8935], who has written in a deplorably polemical style on Huxley and Sir William Hamilton.

Summary

A fact on expression: sheep do use hoofs in fighting.

Summary

Thanks for note and information.

Mentions venomous caterpillars in Africa and Australia.

Summary

French translation of Expression [1874].

Summary

Requests permission to translate Descent into Polish.

Summary

Wishes to dedicate his memoir ["Monographie der Gattung Anthracotherium", Paleontographica 22 (1876): 131–347] to CD as founder of evolutionary theory.

Summary

VOK’s paper ["Osteology of Hyopotamidae", Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 21 (1872–3): 147–65] appears a very valuable one.

Discusses work of VOK’s brother [Alexander] on Sagitta and the ascidians.

Summary

Collecting information about antecedents of eminent men of science. Sends questionnaire.

Summary

Comments about questionnaire CD completed for FG [for Galton’s English men of science (1874)].

Describes his early interest in collecting and his education.

Asks about determining the mean heights of two groups of men.

Summary

News of Naples Zoological Station developments.

His remarks on physiology in the Academy were aimed at Prof. Ludwig and his school.

The usual "exact" methods in experimental physiology want only a little pushing to put an end to superstition.

Recounts how he had worked out the explanation of Rhizocephala morphology via the Anelasma – an example of both the power of inheritance and the power of genealogical investigation. R. Kossman’s work has now confirmed AD’s explanation.

Summary

Reports on insects fertilising Viola tricolor and on the fertilisation of the two wild forms [see Cross and self-fertilisation, p. 124 n., 125].

Summary

Sends three lectures on the origin of human language [see 8962].

Although a "sincere admirer", he differs with CD on the relation of human to so-called animal language.

Summary

Sends his paper on Ophrys insectifera, translated into German by H. G. Reichenbach [Abh. Kais. Leopold.-Carol. Dtsch. Akad. Naturforsch. 33 (1870) no. 3], which shows the intermediates between O. aranifera and O. apifera. He has since gathered information on variation in Ophrys.

Summary

Comments on ability of recipient to move his scalp.