Has studied the Comparettia falcata, not mentioned in Orchids, and found it is often self-fertilising.

Writes of his observations on the "valves of Houston" in the rectum, which he believes to be rudimentary organs.

JDH cannot attend at the bestowal of CD’s honorary doctorate at Cambridge.

O. C. Marsh is rash to suggest all vertebrate types originated in America.

Memorandum on Silchester. Report by IGJ of investigations carried out at Silchester with Frank and Horace [Darwin] on earthworm activity at the site of a Roman villa. Sections of vertical cuttings at Silchester, traced from the journal of the excavations of the Roman house, and notes on the same.

Nomenclature for kinds of heliotropism.

Gives exceptions to maize being monoecious, as CD claims in Cross and self-fertilisation; reversion may be cause of hermaphrodite flowers observed.

Sends paper on potatoes and asks CD to republish.

A poem in tribute to CD following the award of his Cambridge LL.D.

He said nothing in his tribute to CD that was not strictly accurate. Has written out a version as well as he can recollect it and will send CD a copy.

Asks GHD to determine whether there are worm-castings in cloisters of [Neville?] Court.

Enjoyed his visit to Cambridge. Asks for newspaper account of the LL.D.

Will look for worm-castings in the cloisters,

and will send CD items from the Cambridge papers on the honorary degree.

Has hit on a possible fallacy in W. Thomson’s theory of secular cooling of the earth.

Sends plant specimens of a hybrid he has raised by crossing two species of Rubus. Describes procedure by which he obtained them. Cites his paper on hybridisation.

Asks CD if he would like to sign GHD’s Royal Society proposal for membership.

Two thousand more copies of Origin to be printed. Has CD any corrections to make?

Type for Cross and self-fertilisation, Orchids, and Forms of flowers must now be broken up. If CD does not object, Murray will have stereotypes made of the three works. Asks for any corrections CD may want embodied.

Thinks he had better not sign GHD’s paper [as a candidate for F.R.S.], since he obviously is no judge of the quality of his work.

Asks if Thomson did not overlook heat generated by the crushing and folding of strata during the refrigeration of the globe.

Neptunia seeds germinated by applying great heat. CD wants advice of Kew gardener, R. I. Lynch, on how to proceed.

Printed public oration for CD’s Cambridge doctorate enclosed.

SB’s book [Life and habit (1878)] will be bound shortly. He will send two copies, one of which can be given to CD. To SB’s surprise it has turned out to be an attack on CD’s views and a defence of Lamarck; describes how he was brought to the opinions expressed in it.

Sends CD his share of profits on Descent and Forms of flowers.

Wants to reprint Cross and self-fertilisation because supply of copies is entirely exhausted.

Congratulates CD on his Cambridge honour [LL.D.].

LD is supplying coloured-glass light filters for CD’s experiments.

Suggests revisions in JDH’s 1877 Presidential Address to the Royal Society [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. (1877): 427–46].

Answers CD’s query about payment made to him [for Descent and Forms of flowers] and explains the basis on which it was made. Because of CD’s wish to be paid before editions are sold off, profits must be estimated. If he were willing to accept annual statements of sales, payments based on them, and final accounting when all were sold, there would be no uncertainty. This is JM’s usual practice.