Discusses Lythrum, "a really wonderful case"; asks WED to make observations and collect specimens; sends a diagram which shows what crosses he believes are fertile.

Would like George to watch bees visiting the flowers; wants some pods from different forms to compare shapes and count seeds.

Leonard Darwin’s illness.

William Darwin and the bank.

Beginning to make out a marvellous case of trimorphism.

Lythrum. Wants to examine fresh flowers of Lythraceae. Lythrum salicaria has interested him very much.

Microscopes.

Asks whether JDH can think of plants that have different coloured anthers or pollen in same flowers (as in Melastoma) or on same and in different plants as in Lythrum. Would be a safe guide to dimorphism.

Observation of action of pollen in Linum grandiflorum.

Their enumeration [of forms of Lythrum?] is invaluable. He will write later to explain what he is trying to prove about Lythrum through laborious crosses.

Asks for flowers of both forms of Hottonia to measure pollen and compare stigmas.