Alarm over Wallace’s memorial; asks HWB if he has received it and forwarded it to Hooker. Wanted to get it to Gladstone before Parliament met.

Gladstone has recommended yearly pension of £200 for Wallace.

Thanks for Evolutionist at large [1881]. Envies GA’s power of writing. Some statements are too bold, but several of the views are new to CD and seem "extremely probable".

CD interested in JBI’s observations of behaviour of bees. Finds his criticism about hexagonal cells made by queen wasps a good one. Cannot remember how he got out of the difficulty.

His book on worms to be published soon.

E. A. Darwin has died after short illness.

Wasps’ nest has arrived.

Gives his view of how queen wasp builds a hexagonal cell by straightening walls between several cells, which she builds at the same time.

Would like to cite the case of the celt in a new printing of Earthworms. Asks for details.