Informs CD of the effects of certain salts and other chemicals on animals.

Comments on CD’s results with Drosera. Suggests some experiments.

Wonders whether CD has any idea how the cuckoo manages to match its eggs to those of its host; believes it possible that the diet of the nestling cuckoo, which varies with its host, may affect its behaviour and the colour of its eggs.

Discusses role of insects in crossing varieties of Lathyrus odoratus and other species.

Comments on Hermann Müller [Die Befruchtung der Blumen (1873)],

and Anton Kerner ["Die Schutzmittel des Pollens", Ber. Naturwiss. Med. Ver. Innsbruck, 3 (1873): 100–68].

Admires FD’s work on anemophilous plants.

Would welcome JSBS visit to discuss Drosera. Nitrogenous fluids can act as ferments only if they act merely by exciting molecular movement in adjoining molecules.

Glass and cotton excite movement and cause cell contents to change visibly. Huxley coming to see this phenomenon.

Studied effect of poisons 12 or 15 years ago to see whether the action was similar to that on nervous tissue.

Is tired of inaction and so is leaving for Egypt and the East.

Confirms previous observations on ants [see 8788].

Sends his paper on fertilisation of the New Zealand species of the orchid Pterostylis [Trans. & Proc. New Zealand Inst. 4 (1871): 270–84].

Thanks for Dionaea.

George Bentham’s last Linnean Society [Presidential] Address [Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. (1873): viii–xxix]. Admires it greatly.

CD’s recent work leads him to a different theory [from GB’s] on the separation of the sexes of plants.

Huxley has been at Down working with CD on Drosera – very helpful.

Thanks for the extract from the American paper.

Sends three lectures on the origin of human language [see 8962].

Although a "sincere admirer", he differs with CD on the relation of human to so-called animal language.

Leaves Wednesday with Huxley for holiday.

Family news.

He too thinks well of Bentham’s address.

Asa Gray elected Foreign F.R.S.

G. J. Allman is being proposed for Royal Medal by JDH and Huxley.

Thanks for sending WHF’s lecture, ‘On palaeontological evidence of the modifications of animal forms’ (Flower 1873).

Printed memorandum giving reasons why there should be subsidy on a large scale of scientific research unencumbered with teaching.

Has discussed with E. E. Klein about the purchase of a Hartnack microscope from Paris.