Has read letter from Jemmy. Amy has been practicing on the printing machine. Fritz has come back from the Vicar of Orpington.
Comments on the reaction of geologists to GHD’s work on elevation of continents.
Thanks AWvH for his work on Justus Liebig [The life-work of Liebig (1876)].
His samples of earth have been sent for analysis. EF has saved CD and his son from wasted experimenting.
Encloses article on local immunity to tuberculosis. Has he interpreted CD’s views correctly? Believes the immunity notable in areas like Iceland or mountain areas is due to local conditions, not natural selection. Describes his sanatorium in mountains of Silesia and medical criticism of his work.
Asking to borrow three wood blocks.
CD sends the gist of an extremely negative report from the [Royal Society’s] physiological referee on the value of RLT’s modifications of Brücke’s process for isolating pepsin [see 10470].
Reports seeing flowers of wild cherry bitten off in same manner as primroses [see 9418 and 9444]. In this case it was done by a squirrel, though birds also bite the flowers of the cherry-tree.
Two parts of the second edition of the Italian translation of Variation are already out.
Expression will soon follow [published in 1878].
The publisher [Unione] asks CD to give him the right of Italian translations of his works.
Has repeated his observations and experiments used in Insectivorous plants; finds them sound.
Revises his reference to production of pepsin.
Sends Die Perigenesis der Plastidule [1876]. Comments on CD’s theory of Pangenesis. Explains his own theory of Perigenesis.
Returns Webb and Berthelot, Îles Canaries; Géographie botanique [1840].
Describes work on 3d ed. of Anthropogenie.
Promises to send sheets of his new book [Cross and self-fertilisation].
A reader of Descent offers two items: 1. Masters observed a pericardial fold in humans and other mammals which is a vestigial left superior vena cava;
2. JM suggests the frenum of the human penis became necessary for vis-à-vis copulation when man became bipedal.
Thanks AD for sending a memoir on foliation of rocks ["Expériences sur la schistosité des roches", C. R. Hebd. Acad. Sci. 82 (1876): 710–16, 798–804]. Regrets to say that it never reached him.
AD’s memoir [see 10504] has arrived at last.
Book [Webb and Berthelot] has reached CD.
Sorry EH dissents from Pangenesis.
Discusses corrections and illustrations [for Volcanic islands and parts of South America, 2d ed. (1876)].
Sends her article on Utricularia ["Is the valve of Utricularia sensitive?", Harper’s New Mon. Mag. 52 (1875): 382–7].
Proposes to write on Sarracenia ["Carnivorous plants of Florida", Harper’s New Mon. Mag. 53 (1876): 546–8, 710–14].
Sends his copies of CD’s MS of Cross and self-fertilisation and calls attention to errors in addition.
Has become Professor of Botany at Genoa.
Offers to send his paper on the necessity of out-crossing.