[Six fragments, mainly diagrams.] The geometry of bees’ cells.

Relates events at home;

hopes WED gets the scholarship.

Arranges meeting with JDH at Thatched House Tavern.

Eager for JDH’s reaction to MS on large and small genera.

Arrangements for JDH to visit Down for weekend.

CD’s health has been poor owing to hard work [on Natural selection]. He has to treat of every branch of natural history, which is beyond his strength.

Reports that N. J. Andersson finds every European willow bar one is also American.

Has heard from David Livingstone and reports on his progress.

Gives calculations on the structure of bees’ cells.

CD’s receipt of diploma from Caesarea Leopoldino-Carolina Academy [Dresden].

Hopes to begin pigeon MS in a week.

Has lately been working on bees’ cells and wishes very much to examine a cylindrical one.

Discusses bees’ cells. Wants hive and swarm; would be glad to have WBT’s box with commenced cells. "I am partly a disciple of Waterhouse, but not wholly."

Pleased with JDH’s reaction to MS on large and small genera.

Confident of soundness of principle of divergence.

CD experimenting on pollination mechanism of Leguminosae. Asks JDH to investigate Fumariaceae.

Encloses projections and models relating to geometry of bees’ cells.

Sends a model of bee cells "as bad as a Chinese puzzle". [A series of paper cut-out figures.]

Acknowledges receipt of £242 11s. 10d.

Thanks for queen-bee larva and pupa.

Nervous system of Coccus.

Encloses MS by A. R. Wallace. CD has been forestalled. " . . . if Wallace had my MS sketch written out in 1842 he could not have made a better short abstract!" Wallace does not say if he wishes CD to publish MS, but CD will offer to send it to journal.

There is much weight in what RIM says about not breaking up the natural history collection of the British Museum. The botanical collection might be moved to Kew, but CD thinks "it would be the greatest evil which could possibly happen to natural science in this country if the other collections were ever to be removed from the British Museum and Library".

Discusses geometry related to the structure of bees’ cells. Encloses notes and diagrams dealing with intersections of spheres.

Self-fertilisation in Fumariaceae.

[CD note on bees’ visiting some members of Fumariaceae.]

Thanks for hive.

Has started [writing up] pigeons and hopes to have finished with them in a week or two.