Has forwarded a veterinary surgeon’s description of the supposed hybrid [of cow and deer, see 6504]. A neighbour who has seen it is convinced it is genuine.

JBI can do no more about John Robinson.

The first half of vol. 2 of Variation is printed.

News of his marriage.

Sends portraits of Russian scientists.

Hopes CD will write his book on man and asks permission to translate it.

Moving to Germany for two or three years.

T. H. Farrer’s paper is capital.

Is working on new edition of Origin [5th (1869)].

Asks JDH’s assistance on a problem posed by Nägeli on morphological differences that are of no utility to plants and hence could not be selected. CD wants to show that these differences do not support the idea of progressive development as Nägeli suggests.

Owen pitches into CD and Lyell in third volume of Anatomy of vertebrates [1866–8].

JDH’s letter invaluable for an answer to Nägeli’s essay [Entstehung und Begriff der Naturhistorischen Art (1865)].

Has gone through his index to Gardeners’ Chronicle but finds little of use to JDH for his Flora.

Observations that confirm CD’s deduction that half-bred Persian cats are fruitful one with another. Relates case of Persian characters reappearing in the offspring of a common cat which was the descendant of a half-bred Persian.

On the development of horns in Lapland reindeer. [See Descent 1: 288.]

Bill for electrotypes from Brehm’s Thierleben [for use in Variation].