CD confesses his error with respect to the cause of the scarcity of holly berries. It appears that several causes in combination have led to it. CD still believes rarity of bees played a part, though a subordinate one.

Thanks WTT-D for praise of Cross and self-fertilisation

and for information about Mussaenda.

Has some algae from Queensland if WTT-D is interested.

JVC’s publisher [Schweizerbart] must decide soon how many copies of two maps in Volcanic islands and South America are needed.

Has sent new edition of Orchids – greatly altered, but he hopes improved.

CD has only a trifling point to make in criticism [of RLT’s excerpt from Diseases of women]: he believes "the high value of well-bred males is due to their transmitting their good qualities to a far greater number of offspring than can the female".

Thanks for new edition of Orchids.

The remarkable papers of Mott on Ernst Haeckel ["On Haeckel’s history of creation", Proc. Lit. & Philos. Soc. Liverpool 31 (1876–7): 41–89].

The part played by carbon in geological changes.

JDH discusses his and others’ experiments on survival of seeds. Impressed with resistance of some seeds and rapid decomposition of others. He wonders about "vitality" in the abstract.

Praise for Cross and self-fertilisation: most important point proved is benefit of crossing between related individuals grown under different conditions. This explains adaptive value of dispersal mechanisms.

Thinks it would be a serious mistake for TB to give up his profession. How the Royal Society will distribute funds is as yet very uncertain, and CD feels that TB may well receive no support as his proposal is too theoretical.

Has observed the scarcity of humble-bees and subsequently of holly berries this year. But does not think humble-bees ever visit holly flowers, however plentiful they may be.

Thanks for CD’s frank criticism of his views.

Hooker advises him to apply for aid to work out glaciation between Pyrenees and Alps.

Lists misprints in Cross and self-fertilisation.

Sends observations and references relevant to a new edition of Expression.

Comments on WHL’s paper ["Pontederia cordata", Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 6 (1875–9): 62–3]. Cites Fritz Müller’s conclusion that plant is trimorphic. Has WHL made further observations?

Thanks JVC for errata [in Cross and self-fertilisation]

and especially for interesting and amusing notes on expression. Will use them if a new edition [of Expression] is needed, but Murray has printed too many copies of first edition.

Suggests CD write to Mr Fisher, a nurseryman, on his experiments with crossing varieties of holly.

Thanks AG for card about Pontederia.

Asks for specimens of Phlox subulata and Gilia aggregata to check for dimorphism.

Requests permission to use illustrations from F. Müller’s Facts and arguments for Darwin in the new edition [of his Habit and intelligence, 2d ed. (1879)].

CD notes growth of Royal Society may force it to hire officers.

Speculates on cold resistance of bacterial germs.

Will communicate to Royal Society Frank’s paper on the ingestion of solid particles by the protoplasmic protrusions of Dipsacus glands.

CD working on plant dimorphism.

Thanks CD for calling attention to a "considerable error" in his observations on Hottonia fertility [in Die Befruchtung der Blumen (1873)]. [See Forms of flowers, p. 52.]

Sends his papers [unspecified].

Linnaeus was a "Darwinist" because he placed the simians in the genus Homo.

JDH recounts discussion at Royal Society over Günther’s paper on distribution and affinities of gigantic tortoises ["Description of the living and extinct races of gigantic land-tortoises, Parts III and IV", Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 25 (1876–7): 506–7]. Huxley suggests they are Miocene relics.

Royal Society will publish Frank’s Dipsacus paper [but see 10971 and 11073].

Thiselton-Dyer will review Cross and self-fertilisation.