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.

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

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.

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

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