Summary

Extreme interest in MS of HF’s paper on the American fossil elephant [Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 3 (1863): 43–114].

Pleased HF does not believe in immutable species. Significance of proboscidean group verging towards extinction. Comments on natural selection preserving type despite variability. Natural selection solves problem of how every part of each creature has become adapted.

Summary

Mentions a discussion of man by Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in his Histoire naturelle générale [1854–62].

Mentions a book by Friedrich Rolle [Ch. Darwin’s Lehre von der Entstehung der Arten (1863)].

Cites evolutionary statements on elephants by Hugh Falconer and notes Falconer’s objection to natural selection.

Summary

Thanks for information. Asks for more information about labellum of orchids.

Summary

Explains that he returned the MS - part of a paper on fossil and living species of elephant (Falconer 1863) - to Falconer’s house in Park Crescent the previous Thursday.

Summary

Thanks for opinion on Drosera. After working for a time on a subject he is absolutely incapable of judging its value.

Has found a case in Lythrum of a necessary triple alliance between three hermaphrodites; the strangest case of propagation recorded among plants or animals.

Asks for L. thymifolia to see how a trimorphic form passes or graduates into dimorphic.

Questions JDH on Linum perenne.

Has found 33 hybrids in one field between Verbascum thapsus and V. lychnitis. The perfect series of varieties would have justified running the species together, but every one of the intermediate forms is sterile.

Summary

Reports misprint in announcement of his book [Orchids].

Summary

Requests Linum, for dimorphism study.

Reviewer of Orchids [Nat. Hist. Rev. n.s. 2 (1862): 371–6]is correct about the organisation of the book; he wonders who the reviewer is.

Summary

Asks for reference to GB’s summary of Targioni-Tozzetti’s book ["Historical notes on the introduction of various plants into the agriculture and horticulture of Tuscany: a summary of a work entitled Cenni storici sulla introduzione di varie piante nell agricultura ed orticultura Toscana by Dr Antonio Targioni-Tozzetti, Florence, 1850", J. Hortic. Soc. Lond. 9 (1855): 133–81]. [See Variation, 1st ed., 1: 306 n.]

Summary

Further comments on Jamieson’s theory of the formation of the roads of Glen Roy; paper by Jamieson dealing with glaciation in Scotland ["On the ice-worn rocks of Scotland", Q. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 18 (1862): 164–84].

Comments on paper by A. C. Ramsay on the glacial formation of lakes ["On the glacial origin of certain lakes", Q. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 18 (1862): 185–204].

Criticises remarks by John Tyndall on glacial formation of Swiss valleys.

Summary

Thanks for Aldrovanda reference and Cassia.

Has wasted labour on Melastomataceae without getting a glimpse of the meaning of the parts.

Wants seeds, from their native land, of Heterocentron or Monochaetum.

Is beginning to change his view about rarity of natural hybrids.

Summary

Asks for news of HWB and his book.

There has been sickness in CD’s family; one of the boys [and Emma] had scarlet fever.

Has had a letter from Edwin Brown of Burton who is working on classification of Carabi.

Summary

Lythrum salicaria is coming out clear.

Would be glad of Nesaea seed.

Is disappointed with Melastoma, but is sure there is something curious to be made out.

His experiments with poisons on Drosera lead him to conclude that it possesses something analogous to nervous matter.

Comments on natural hybrids of Verbascum.

Deplores the Civil War and the feelings it has fostered in Britain.

Summary

Rolle has done great service by publishing his book [Ch. Darwin’s Lehre von der Entstehung der Arten (1863)].

Summary

Thanks for last note. Assures HWB that all writers have problems similar to his.

Plans to inquire at Linnean Society for HWB’s paper.

His family, including Mrs Darwin and Leonard, are now well.

Summary

Would like JL to call.

Summary

Asks WED to make some observations on differences in pods of Lythrum.

Summary

Hopes to be well enough on Friday to see JL.

Several of the family have had influenza.

Summary

Masdevallia turns out to be nothing wonderful, "I was merely stupid about it."

Asks for plants for experiments.

Hedysarum and Oxalis sensitiva seeds.

Asks whether Oliver knows of experiments on absorption of poisons by roots.

CD finds he cannot publish this year on Lythrum salicaria; he must make 126 additional crosses!

Asks for odd variations of common potato; he wants to grow a few plants of every variety.

Variation is crawling.

Has had some bad attacks lately.

Summary

Thanks WED for observations on Lythrum.

Discusses family affairs.

Summary

In his work on cirripedes [Cirripedia, vol. 1 Lepadidae (1851), pp. 53–5] CD described a particular organ as an "auditory-sac" although he was unable to trace the supposed nerve from it to any ganglion. August Krohn [in "Observations on the development of the Cirripedia", Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3d ser. 6 (1859): 423–8] concluded that the organ was ovarian. CD supposes that Krohn is correct, but gives further observations that suggest an auditory function. If someone could find ova within the curious organ it would confirm Krohn’s view.