Summary

Gives extracts from a letter by Thomas Hutton.

Rabbits are kept (generally by Europeans) in the NW. provinces and breed freely. Canaries are not well adapted to the climate. Reports on domestic cats and pigeons of the area. EB gives references to further information on cats, pigeons, and silkworms.

[CD’s notes are an abstract of this letter.]

Summary

Thanks for specimen.

Always was sceptical of James Buckman’s experiment; heard afterwards that cruel trick was played on him.

Glad ASW is willing to look into Russian wheat case.

Summary

Plans to come to Shrewsbury.

Is pleased with cabin assignment on Beagle. Beagle will map the east side of Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia and set longitude of many places.

Summary

CD’s letter from Tiflis is not in Russian but Georgian.

Summary

Thanks correspondent for information on a plant. It is too late for his present work.

Summary

Offering to send a copy of Kosmos containing a short review of her Life, letters and journals of Sir Charles Lyell, Bart. (K. M. Lyell ed. 1881).

Summary

Asks CD to sign some "Sunday tickets" [for the Zoological Garden?].

Summary

Sends an example of natural selection: survival of water-buffalo eating Indian corn submerged by flooding might depend on how long animal could keep nose under water. Encloses measurements of this behaviour.

Summary

On the results of Robert Bunsen’s journey to Iceland, which he compares in detail with his own research.

"I have for the present given up Geology, & am hard at work at pure Zoology & am dissecting various genera of cirripedes, & am extremely interested in the subject." "I always, however, keep on reading & observing on my favourite work on Variation or on Species, & shall in a year’s time or so, commence & get my notes in order."

Summary

Has confirmed CD’s observations on Drosera.

Asks whether CD agrees that it is "no longer a fact" that the bladders of Utricularia vulgaris enable the plant to become lighter for fecundation and heavier when that act is accomplished. Plans to undertake further observations, under very high-powered microscopes, of mechanism of digestion.

Summary

Scheme for Jemmy Button’s grandson has fallen through, as he has already been "adopted".

Summary

Does not know Dr Mahoney.

Thanks CD for offer of photographs.

His mother’s health is no worse.

Summary

GHD’s corrections seem very good. Murray hopes there will be few corrections in Descent. CD assured him no changes have been made merely for improving style.

Wants very much to hear about "the terrible cousin affair".

Summary

Encloses a dialogue on species from a New Zealand newspaper [S. Butler’s First dialogue on evolution, from the Christchurch Press].

Summary

Notes on Lyell’s Principles, vol. 2.

EB does not believe in connecting links between genera; there is no tendency to gradation between groups of animals.

Does not believe shortage of food can directly produce any heritable effect on size.

Comments on significance of variations discussed by Lyell. Variation in dentition and coloration.

Behaviour of elephants and monkeys.

When varieties are crossed EB considers that the form of the offspring, whether intermediate or like one or other of the parents, depends upon how nearly related the parents are.

Thinks that in the struggle for existence hybrids, and varieties generally, must be expected to give way to the "beautiful & minute adaptation" of the pure types.

Colours of Indian birds.

Vitality of seeds.

Variation among palms.

Fauna of Malaysia and New Zealand. Ranges of bird species.

[Memorandum originally enclosed with 1760.]

Summary

A letter from CD’s admirers in the Netherlands, sent with an album of their photographs, in celebration of his sixty-eighth birthday.

Presents an account of early efforts in the Netherlands in the direction of developmental theories, and evidence of the support and enthusiastic reception given CD’s theory.

Summary

Reports, as treasurer, on the financial position of the Club.

Summary

Discusses ASW’s discovery of error in Russian belief about wheat varieties. Suggests that he publish paper in Journal of Royal Agricultural Society. [Results actually published in Gard. Chron. n.s. 11 (1879): 622–4.]

Summary

JDH not happy with CD’s explanation of the absence of north temperate forms in the Southern Hemisphere, given his explanation for the spread of sub-arctic forms to the south. [CD’s note is in response to JDH’s criticism.]

Summary

"Read a letter [to AC] of the 19th Instant from Mr Charles Darwin of Christs College, Cambridge stating that understanding from the Conservators that a Series of fossil Bones collected during the voyage of H: M: Surveying Vessel Beagle possesses a peculiar Interest as connected with Specimens already in the Museum of this College that it had always been his intention to present such Bones to some public collection on the condition that Casts thereof should be given to the leading Public Bodies for the sake of making them more generally useful, specifying the British Museum the Geological Society and the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and one set for himself: and that under such Conditions he should be most happy to present the entire series to the Museum of this College."