On rereading the Origin, offers a criticism on two grounds: 1. Blending inheritance; 2. The tendency of species to elude competing species. Also competition within species eliminates the weak and thus preserves the species.

Recalls being introduced to CD when [undergraduate] at Cambridge.

Sends CD some of his pamphlets

and expresses support of Origin.

Has discovered there are "3 sexes" in the solitary Cynips as well as social insects.

[Outline sketches of pollen from long- and short-styled yellow cowslips and from red cowslip, magnified 350x.]

Instructions on measuring pollen of dimorphic plants.

Thanks WED for measuring cowslip pollen. Sends dimorphic flowers.

Thanks for DO’s Lessons in elementary botany [1864].

Asks him to inquire whether there are any twining species of Passiflora.

Sir Henry Holland wants to see [Erasmus Darwin] Zoonomia.

Snow [F. J. Wedgwood] has gone, hoping to meet Fanny who is in a state of anxiety.

Experiment instructions.

Would like to come to Down to visit.

Encloses MS of his paper ["On individual sterility of Oncidium", J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.) 8 (1865): 162–7].

His next will be on Passiflora, Disemma, and Tacsonia [J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.) 8 (1865): 197–206].

When he receives proofs of his Primula paper he will add CD’s case about equal-styled cowslip.

Recommends paper by John Scott to be read at Linnean Society.

CD has been so ill they must discourage visit by WDF. Recovering slowly with new treatment.

Diagrams of short- and long-styled Pulmonaria under magnification.

Prescribes "Sod. exsic." with the podophyllin for CD.

Henry Holland sends thanks for Zoonomia.

Sir Henry would not expect podophyllin to be good for CD.

On the Borneo cave exploration.

ARW will send his contribution to theory of origin of man. The vast mental and cranial differences between man and apes, whereas structural differences in other parts of body are small. The problem of explaining diversity of human races along with the stability of man’s form during all historical epochs. Discussion with "Anthropologicals" [following reading of ARW’s paper, "The origin of human races", before the Anthropological Society, 1 Mar 1864].

Cannot give information about the box of Oxalis bulbs that his brother [Roland Trimen] has forwarded to CD.

Observations on style length of 150 flowers of Pulmonaria [angustifolia]. [See Forms of flowers, p. 105.]

Oxalis plants have arrived safely [see 4347].

CD regrets his mistake about Disa; will correct it.

Thanks RT for his additional facts about Disa.

Is recovering slowly from ten months’ illness.

Asks whether Strelitzia reginae grows in gardens at the Cape. Suspects it must be fertilised by a bird.

Is burning to hear CD’s reaction to Wallace’s excellent paper on man ["Origin of human races and the antiquity of man", J. Anthropol. Soc. Lond. 2 (1864): clviii–clxxxvi].

Wallace’s disclaimer of credit for natural selection is high-minded.