Summary

Explains how melting of ice in Glen Spean could have successively freed two lower cols, thus establishing the water-levels that determined the two lower shelves in Glen Roy.

Plans to read a paper to the Linnean Society ["Sexual forms of Catasetum", Collected papers 2: 63–70].

Summary

Declines the honour of acting as Steward at the Annual Dinner of the Royal Literary Fund.

Summary

On Vanilla.

Asks JDH to observe whether he has both long- and short-styled form of Menyanthes

and whether he has "Saxifrages with long hairs glandular at the tip".

The Linnean Society session made him vomit all night. Fears he must give up trying to read papers or speak. "It is a horrid bore. I can do nothing like other people."

Summary

JM is a bold man to print 1500 copies [of Orchids].

Summary

Did CD lend AM a pamphlet on cave insects by S. Scudder ["On the genus Raphidophora", Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 8 (1861–2): 6–14]? CD much wants it and remembers lending it to someone.

Summary

DO’s observations on polymorphism in Primula and Campanula. CD recognises three classes of dimorphism, as in Primula, Thymus, and Campanula and violets.

DO’s Campanula paper and Royal Institution lecture [Not. Proc. R. Inst. G. B. 3 (1858–62): 431–3].

CD’s interest in Fumariaceae from A. Gray’s comments on "selfing".

Bees bite holes in flowers when same species grows in high density.

Organisation of CD’s notes.

Summary

Invitation to visit; Hooker will be present. Gives directions to Down. Also plans to invite John Lubbock over for an evening.

Summary

French translation of 3d edition of Origin has been greatly delayed.

Very pleased with CEB-S’s intent to write a review and with his near agreement. CD believes that so many really good judges concur with him in the main that his views will ultimately prevail. Continental reviews have been more positive than British ones. Édouard Claparède’s ["M. Darwin et sa théorie de la formation des espèces", Rev. Ger. 16 (1861): 523–59; 17 (1861): 232–63] is too favourable.

Summary

Requests Oxalis acetosella, which he suspects is dimorphic.

Summary

Is sending first half of orchid book.

Feels he is wrong about Melastoma.

Summary

Thanks for Oxalis. Only experimentation will show whether disproportion of long- to short-styled flowers is a functional dimorphism.

Case of aestival flowers is very curious.

Summary

Sends additions and corrections for 2d German ed. of Origin [1862–3].

Before a German translation of Orchids is done, CD thinks HGB should read part of it and decide if it is worth while; CD has doubts.

Summary

Thanks WED for eyeglass.

Reports on health of Horace and family matters.

Has finished Orchids.

Summary

Thinks THH’s [Anniversary] Address [to Geological Society, Feb 1862, Q. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 18 (1862): xl–liv] a wonderful condensed and original summary of palaeontology.

Summary

Encourages DO to publish his paper and put his name to it. [Paper apparently not published.] Concurs with his views on primordial nature of hermaphroditism.

Summary

Thanks correspondent for his excellent review [of French edition of Origin (1862)], which he feels will help the spread of his views in France.