Summary

Finds from the Colonial Office that a census [of the Pitcairn Islands?] is expected soon, from which he will get the information he desires. [See 9241 and 9246.]

Summary

Would like recipient to ask inmates whether they are offspring of cousin marriages.

Summary

Is glad to hear of new German edition of Descent, but owing to his extensive revisions, corrected sheets will not be ready for about three months.

Is working on a new edition of Coral reefs, which he thinks would sell in Germany.

Would like to hear "out of curiosity & vanity" how many copies of his books have been sold in Germany.

Summary

Asks for information about the title and date of Semper’s essay disputing CD’s theory of coral reefs.

Summary

Has ordered James Clerk Maxwell’s book [On the stability of the motion of Saturn’s rings (1859)] as a present for Sofya Kovalevsky.

Summary

Discusses THH’s account of the séance. CD convinced all are fraudulent.

Summary

Do breeders rear more male than female greyhound puppies?

Summary

Orders five works on the Sandwich Islands from the Royal Geographical Society Library for his investigation of infanticide and population trends there.

Summary

Has read GH’s proofs and, although not entirely in agreement, has no criticisms worth sending.

Summary

Asks AG to sign an enclosure [see 9291].

Summary

Has sent FM’s letter on termites to Nature ["Habits of various insects", Nature 10 (1874): 102–3].

Would be interested in observations on the stingless bees of Brazil.

Summary

Thanks for birthday greetings.

Comments on work at Naples Zoological Station. F. M. Balfour to visit Naples. Would like to send third son [Francis Darwin] to learn art of observing marine animals.

Health indifferent.

Summary

Returns proofs; has no criticisms or remarks worth sending.

Summary

Asks HBT to sign certificate [for Royal Society] for Robert Swinhoe.

Summary

At the suggestion of Crichton-Browne CD writes on behalf of his son George, who is making a study of marriages between first cousins and of their offspring to determine the proportion of the latter who may be among the insane, deaf and dumb, idiotic, blind etc. Is GES willing to ask his patients [at the Royal Albert Asylum] for the information relevant to this study?

Summary

Thanks for answering his query on greyhound puppies.

Summary

Does not believe in the possibilty of dog suicide.

Summary

Thanks for copies of HdV’s two articles on climbing plants (Vries 1873a and 1873b).

Summary

Discusses meaning of term "sexual selection".

Comments on variability in males.

Summary

Thanks for his election as Foreign Honorary Member.