Summary

Has read letter from Jemmy. Amy has been practicing on the printing machine. Fritz has come back from the Vicar of Orpington.

Summary

Good news about Frankland. Expecting burnt earth. Almost finished the Foodbodies Paper on Acacia. He and Amy are learning to use the new printing machine.

Summary

The Salvia has arrived.

Has found several fly orchids coming in flower, but no Cephalanthera or Musk.

Cannot do any teazel work.

Anthelme Thozet has sent him a lot of Ophideres.

Summary

Has had a cold. Salvia hasn't come yet. Will look for orchids tomorrow. Will send off bull's-horn acacia on Monday or Tuesday.

Summary

Has sent off Bulls Horn to Kew; has sent hamper to CD; is preparing drawings for his presentation at the Linnean Society; asks after William, and hopes to be able to come to visit.

Summary

Reports his discovery of the behaviour of protoplasm in teasel cells.

Summary

Sends his autograph.

Summary

Expresses his pride in FD, whose article ["On the structure of the snail’s heart", J. Anat. Physiol. 10 (1876): 506–10] was highly praised by G. H. Lewes.

Lewes has also been quoting FD’s letter in Nature [13 (1876): 384–5] on pycrotoxine in relation to the vivisection controversy.

Was introduced to James Sully, author of the article in Mind on Wilhelm Wundt ["Physiological psychology in Germany", 1 (1876): 20–43]

and Sensation and intuition (1874) [see 10320], by "Mrs Lewes" (George Eliot).

Summary

Discusses FD’s observations on the protrusion of protoplasmic masses by cells of the teasel. Suggests analogy with amoeba. "I would work at this subject if I were you, to the point of death."

Summary

Reports seeing flowers of wild cherry bitten off in same manner as primroses [see 9418 and 9444]. In this case it was done by a squirrel, though birds also bite the flowers of the cherry-tree.

Summary

Comments on the reaction of geologists to GHD’s work on elevation of continents.

Summary

Promises to send sheets of his new book [Cross and self-fertilisation].

Summary

AD’s memoir [see 10504] has arrived at last.

Summary

CD’s servant submits estimate for work to be done on pantry.

Summary

His samples of earth have been sent for analysis. EF has saved CD and his son from wasted experimenting.

Summary

Sends his copies of CD’s MS of Cross and self-fertilisation and calls attention to errors in addition.

Summary

Instructs CD that his son [William] should take a holiday following his concussion.

Summary

Thanks AD for sending a memoir on foliation of rocks ["Expériences sur la schistosité des roches", C. R. Hebd. Acad. Sci. 82 (1876): 710–16, 798–804]. Regrets to say that it never reached him.

Summary

Book [Webb and Berthelot] has reached CD.

Sorry EH dissents from Pangenesis.

Summary

A reader of Descent offers two items: 1. Masters observed a pericardial fold in humans and other mammals which is a vestigial left superior vena cava;

2. JM suggests the frenum of the human penis became necessary for vis-à-vis copulation when man became bipedal.