Asks whether the twins WO reported to CD [see 5470] were named Macrae. F. Galton has told him of a similar case with twins so named who inherited crooked little fingers from the maternal side [see Variation, 2d ed., 2: 240]. [The twins referred to by WO were actually his sisters, see 10170.]

Asks whether CD has observed that bees limit their visits to a single kind of flower on each journey from the hive, as Aristotle has said they do. What advantage would such a limitation be to the insects?

From Galton’s "twin study" he suspects that some progenitor of WO’s had the peculiarities in question.

Has collected cases of signs of assent for a revised edition of Expression.

Suggests bees visit same species because they know how far to insert proboscis and thus save time.

Would like to cite WO’s case of bees perforating white but not blue monkshood (Aconitum napellus) in his next book [Cross and self-fertilisation, pp. 427–8]. Believes it is probably sterile if insects are excluded.

Recounts his observations on the different ways bees perforate flowers of white and blue varieties of monkshood. [See Cross and self-fertilisation, p 428.]

Thanks for Forms of flowers.

Suggests plant hairs protect them from insects either mechanically or by stinging.

Is glad WO is undertaking the editing of Anton Kerner’s book [Schutzmittel der Blüthen gegen unberufene Gäste (1876)], which appears to open out "highly original & curious fields of research". [Used as prefatory letter to Kerner, Flowers and their unbidden guests, The translation revised and edited by W. Ogle (1878).]

Thanks for his translation of [Anton] Kerner [Flowers and their unbidden guests: the translation revised and edited by W. Ogle (1878)].

Thanks WO for advice and assistance for his son, Horace.

Has read Kerner’s book [see 11666]; finds the translation "as clear as daylight" but fears it is too good for the English public who like "very washy food".

Thanks WO for copying and translating [unspecified] passages. CD knew nothing about them, but doubts they are of real use. Passage about summer solstice may indicate something new.

Sends a translation of Aristotle’s De partibus animalium and imagines that if the old teleologist were alive CD would convince him of his errors.

Thanks WO for gift of his translation [Aristotle’s De partibus animalium]. Suspects the introduction would interest him more than the text "notwithstanding that he [Aristotle] was such a wonderful old fellow".

Has rarely read anything more interesting than WO’s introduction to his Aristotle translation. Had no notion what a wonderful man Aristotle was. Linnaeus and Cuvier were mere schoolboys compared to him. His ignorance on some points, as on muscles and the means of movement, is curious.

A friend once "caught" an oyster while fishing, which confirms CD’s note ["On the dispersal of freshwater bivalves", Collected papers 2: 276–8].

Thanks WO for information on inheritance of deficient phalanges [Variation 2:73] and for interesting case of the occurrence of anomalous fingers and teeth in twins[Variation 2: 253].

Wishes he had known of the views of Hippocrates, which are almost identical to his Pangenesis hypothesis. CD advances it as provisional, but secretly expects some such view will have to be admitted.

Returns a pamphlet on Salvia [F. Hildebrand, "Über die Befruchtung der Salviaarten" (1865) Jahrb. Wiss. Bot. 4 (1866): 451–78].

Comments on WO’s paper on Salvia [Pop. Sci. Rev. 8 (1869): 261–73], which he admires.

WO very gratified by CD’s complimentary remarks on his Salvia article.

Sends CD a paper dealing in part with animal pigmentation [Med.-Chir. Trans. 2d ser. 411 [check vol no!?] (1870): 263–90]. Discusses relationship between white colouring and susceptibility to poisonous plants.