Thanks for Insectivorous plants.

Intrigued by the analogy between fairy-rings and annular skin diseases, e.g., herpes and psoriasis.

Thanks CD for his new volume [Insectivorous plants].

Yellow and purple flowers occur on plant grafted with Cytisus purpureus, but only on separate racemes. Only yellow blooms seed.

Is very interested in JJW’s report on a purple laburnum grafted onto yellow stock which then produces yellow flowers. CD requests racemes to examine.

Asks CD to write short article on breeds and breeding for new edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Huxley has suggested natural history topics to be covered, and recommended CD.

Thanks for copy of CD’s latest work [Insectivorous plants].

Professional sheep-breeder interested in laws of inheritance reports his crosses between Serinus hortulanus and Dryospiza canaria. Seeks to make a new species. Crosses carried out with animals varying in their proportion of Serinus and Dryospiza parentage. Confirms Prosper Lucas’ law as given in Origin, ch. 9, with exception that strong individuals exhibit prepotency.

Sends CD some of the Cytisus, which has produced yellow flowers on a purple graft.

Enquires about fairy rings.

Regarding Cytisus graft with yellow flowers, CD thinks nurseryman has sold Cytisus adami to JJW’s brother in place of C. purpureus. This explains apparent "sport". [P.S. on envelope:] C. purpureus seeds freely. C. adami never does.

Sends errata for Insectivorous plants 2d printing.

Thanks MTM for his excellent review [of Insectivorous plants]

and for his trouble about the gooseberry.

Asks CD’s opinion of an experiment on Drosera.

Discusses revisions for Variation, 2d ed.

Discusses experiments involving graft-hybrids.

Alludes to Pangenesis.

Describes difficulty of conditions for the experiment with Drosera suggested by THF.

WTT-D and E. R. Lankester wish to visit CD.

Has corrected some references for new edition of Variation.

Acknowledges with thanks "Mr Fitzgerald’s magnificent work" [R. D. Fitzgerald’s Australian orchids, part 1 (1875)]. [See 10069.]

Fairy-rings grow because the fungal spawn radiates outwards then dies off at the centre as it becomes exhausted. The verdure of the grass depends upon the decay of the fungus supplying nitrogenous manure. Rings are formed mainly in upland pastures poor in nitrogenous matter. Gives examples of woodland fungi that form rings.

Thanks CD again for his book [Insectivorous plants];

would like an autograph to put in it.

Would be delighted if ever she could visit Down again.

JJW is to think no more about mistake [regarding Cytisus graft].