Summary

Regrets that CD’s health does not allow him to accept any invitations.

Summary

Thanks WED for some earthworm observations.

Discusses investments.

Summary

On proposed sale of property to CD by Sydney Sales. [The site of the Down House hard tennis court.]

Summary

FD and CD have been interested in AdeC’s diagram for illustrating inheritance. The difficulty of estimating different qualities in oneself and others is very great. Encloses a diagram illustrating how FD compares himself with his parents. CD has filled in a comparison with his father. It shows he resembles his father more than FD resembles CD. [The qualities compared are: stature, hair, eyes, pulse, musical capacity, ability to draw, tendency toward biological sciences, tendency toward mathematical sciences, perseverence, memory, aptitude for foreign languages.]

Summary

Comments on FD’s notions about movement of multicellular and unicellular organisms.

Comments on an interesting letter received from J. B. Hannay [see 13222] which leads CD to speculate on the possibility of organisms inhabiting a red hot earth under great pressure.

Summary

Regrets that he has not strength enough to visit [Rothamsted].

Summary

Ludwig Büchner is in London. Requests interview for him with CD on Wednesday or Thursday; he leaves Friday.

Summary

Division of CW’s share [of E. A. Darwin’s estate]. Investment advice.

Recounts his memories of their mother and of her death. Remembers "her black velvet gown and her work table and the death scene", but cannot remember her face. Remembers that Caroline "always acted like a mother" to him and Catherine.

Summary

Comments on the response to Movement in plants, which seems to have been successful.

Is going over revises of Earthworms.

Is investigating further his notion that leaves align themselves in the rain so as to shoot off drops of water.

Summary

Is obliged to GHD for arranging everything.

Sorry about the proof-sheets.

Summary

North East Railway Consols.

Summary

AR plans, when he dies, to leave sea-side house at Worthing to Huxley.

Summary

Is sorry to have involved himself in a priority dispute between Wortmann and Elfving. Intends to publish on circumnutation; will CD send him his notes? Apologises for taking CD’s protractor, will send it back. Has met Oscar Schmidt.

Summary

Dispatches chapters six and seven [of Earthworms].

Asks for any opinions on V. Hensen and his book, Physiologie der Zeugung [1881], which seems interesting.

Summary

Will be glad to read over her article.

Summary

Thanks for gift of Movement in plants.

Plans botanical research in Brazil.

Hermann von Jhering is conducting experiments on snakes.

WB obliged to work as newspaper correspondent.

Plans breeding experiments on dimorphic plants.

Summary

Says that salt water kills earthworms.

Interested in ERL’s study of worm anatomy.

Summary

Agrees to sit for portrait. Thinks John Collier is a good artist, an opinion based on his portrait of Hooker.

Summary

Discusses investments.

The action of worms when drawing leaves into their burrows.

Summary

Thinks William Thomson will support him [for Plumian Professorship at Cambridge].