Approves terms used in LAE’s manuscript. Discusses relative advantages of self-fertilisation and cross-fertilisation.

Thanks LAE for pointing out erratum [in Cross and self-fertilisation].

Thanks CTEvS for photographs of human abnormality;

regrets death of Rudolf von Willemoes-Suhm.

Asks for some seeds of coniferous plants. Wants to examine their first leaves.

Comments on GJR’s lecture on evolution.

Regrets failure of graft experiments.

Hopes GJR will not give up on Pangenesis. Mentions article by Gustav Jäger on Pangenesis.

Discusses planting onions for experiment.

Would like the letters from grandfather [Erasmus Darwin] to J. A. H. Reimarus to be published.

Asks for the wing of a goose said to have transmitted effects of an injury by hereditary descent.

Cannot allow WCM to pay extra charge for glass. Rooms all very comfortable.

CD will call on Tuesday morning.

CD’s gardener says not to sow onion seeds until middle of March. Should he risk sowing them at once?

Does not believe that nature of milk can affect character of child.

Facts about starling very curious, but CD now absorbed by vegetable physiology. Not likely to attend to animal minds again.

Sympathises with GJR on dreadful loss [of his sister, Georgina].

Can GJR visit Down?

Onions not yet up.

Bones in goose’s wing perfectly normal. Malformation probably due to want of balance in muscles; analogous to club-foot. Injury of the parent not reproduced in offspring, but may have led to disturbance in functions of nerves which control muscles. Would like further study.

Monstrosity of fuchsia sent by GD not uncommon.

Does not recall bats at Galapagos.

Encloses report by W. H. Flower on goose’s wing.

Asks RAB to obtain wings from young birds and broken wing from old one. Asks about details of injury.

Invites GJR to visit on the 18th.

Asks questions about earthworms.

Sends two pages from MS chapter on instinct. Presumes it is too late for chapter to be of use to GJR.

After train ride Baby [Bernard Richard Meirion Darwin] calls every vehicle "boo boo".

GJR may have CD’s MS chapter on instinct. It was abstracted for Origin, but CD probably will not prepare it for publication.

Thanks RAB for kindness. Says W. H. Flower will examine wings [of geese].