Summary

Notes on natural selection; discussion of factors mitigating the swamping influence of intercrossing on incipient variations.

Summary

Discusses at length the factors acting in reducing rudimentary organs, and their relative importance.

Summary

Sets out some of his ideas on the effects of disuse on an organ. Disuse as a cause of reduction.

Summary

Thanks GJR for his letter, regrets pressure of other work prevents his giving GJR’s remarks the attention they deserve. GJR makes clearer how an organ that has started to decrease will go on decreasing.

Summary

Encloses a copy of a letter from H. Spencer giving his opinion on GJR’s views on disuse and a draft of GJR’s reply to Spencer.

Summary

Comments on Spencer’s terms.

Summary

Speaks of visiting GJR at the Brown Institution.

Summary

Invites GJR to visit.

Summary

Thanks GJR for copy of his book [Christian prayer and general laws (1874)].

Discusses breeding and sterility.

Discusses experiments to test Pangenesis. Cites useful references.

Suggests GJR visit Kew gardens.

Summary

Urges GJR to visit Hooker at Kew.

Summary

Discourages grafting ears of rabbits. Suggests comb of fowl.

Summary

Describes accounts of potato grafting in a German journal.

Summary

Would like to see papers [on potato grafting] mentioned by CD.

CD has doubtless seen case in Gardeners’ Chronicle of vine in which scion has affected the stock [P. Grieve, "Singular sport upon a grape vine", Gard. Chron. (1875): 21].

Summary

Is sending plants from cut-leaved vine.

Invites GJR to visit.

"When in presence of my ladies do not talk about experiments on animals."

Summary

Returns papers [unidentified].

One on inheritance destitute of meaning. How can "force" act without any material on which to act? Discussion must assume truth of some such theory as Pangenesis.

Summary

Discusses revisions for Variation, 2d ed.

Discusses experiments involving graft-hybrids.

Alludes to Pangenesis.

Summary

Describes experiments designed to produce graft-hybrid. Has achieved adhesion in great majority of experiments. Too early to tell what ultimate success will be.

Summary

Comments on GJR’s experiments.

Summary

Looks forward to reading CD’s statements about reflex action in Insectivorous plants.

Has prepared paper ["Physiology of the nervous system of Medusae", Rep. BAAS (1876): 158–63] in which he insists on occurrence of reflex action in absence of nerves. Would like to cite CD’s authority for occurrence of reflex action in plants.

Summary

Will propose GJR for membership in Linnean Society.

Discusses GJR’s grafting experiments.