Has had some misgivings about the memorial but now thinks his fears were vain and cowardly. Regrets R. I. Murchison was not told in advance. His low opinion of the Government and B. Disraeli.

Examining JDH’s list. CD struck by how many plants are common to Europe, S. America, and Australia.

Sends receipt for £250 6s. 2d.

Approves of WED’s moving into CD’s old rooms [at Christ’s College]. Gives fatherly advice on Cambridge’s temptation to idleness. Christmas plans.

Health poor of late.

Thanks WE for an oriental treatise on pigeons, a paper on poultry, and specimens.

Asks about stripes on shoulders and legs of horses and donkeys.

Thanks for some poultry breeds.

Wide-ranging species more "improved" than relics in small areas because they exist in large numbers and thus are subject to intense competition.

His abstract is 330 folio pages long so far.

Memorial concerning British Museum collection.

Relation of Cape of Good Hope and Australian flora a great trouble. CD’s high estimation of importance of glacial period for distribution.

Replies at length to JDH’s worried reaction to his comments on lowness of Australian plants. CD distinguishes between "competitive highness", i.e., which fauna would be exterminated and which survive if two faunas were placed in competition, and ordinary "highness" of classification.

Variations in the structure of Pelargonium flowers.

Sends WED a bank draft.

Comments and criticisms on JL’s paper [possibly: "On the development of Chloëon dimidiatum", Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 24 (1863): 61–78].

Concerned about ED’s headaches, CD writes an affectionate letter.

Believes he has found a rare slave-making species of ant.

Is reading novels: Beneath the surface and Three chances.

Thanks AAG for procuring an authoritative answer from T. M. Brewer on the habits of the [American] cuckoo. Surprised William Yarrell erred so much.

Wishes AAG had time to give an account of Japanese shells, which would be interesting from the geographical point of view.

Cannot come to London until Tuesday. Arriving about 11: 15.

Asks JP to remember him if anything occurs to him "in regard to inheritance at corresponding or rather earlier ages". Sends JP a few examples for his "Chronometry of life". CD is sure he often met with striking facts but he disregarded them. "Deviations alone would have struck me."

Effects of different climates on breeding periods.

Darwin comments that Hooker's letter to ARW is perfect and that he has forwarded it to ARW along with one from himself. Darwin states he had resigned himself to giving up priority regarding evolution by natural selection to ARW but for influence from Lyell and Hooker.

Darwin thanks Hooker for reporting that all went well at the Linnean Society and supports Hooker's suggestion that he (Hooker) write to ARW to "exonerate" Darwin.

Darwin responding to Hooker's request for papers. Darwin seems resigned to not to ARW usurping him regarding the explanation of how and why species change over time, "I daresay all is too late. I hardly care about it.—".

Conveys news of the death of Darwin's baby son. References letters received from Hooker regarding the suggestion that they present ARW's paper and Darwin's writings as a joint paper to the Linnaean Society.