Asks CD if he would like to sign GHD’s Royal Society proposal for membership.

Honoured to be elected an honorary member of the Société Géologique de Belgique.

Two thousand more copies of Origin to be printed. Has CD any corrections to make?

Type for Cross and self-fertilisation, Orchids, and Forms of flowers must now be broken up. If CD does not object, Murray will have stereotypes made of the three works. Asks for any corrections CD may want embodied.

Thinks he had better not sign GHD’s paper [as a candidate for F.R.S.], since he obviously is no judge of the quality of his work.

Asks if Thomson did not overlook heat generated by the crushing and folding of strata during the refrigeration of the globe.

Asks exact number of copies of recent printing of Origin.

Approves stereotyping Orchids,

but fears he cannot approve of stereotyping Cross and self-fertilisation and Forms of flowers. It is too soon for the latter, and he is too busy to correct the former.

Neptunia seeds germinated by applying great heat. CD wants advice of Kew gardener, R. I. Lynch, on how to proceed.

Printed public oration for CD’s Cambridge doctorate enclosed.

SB’s book [Life and habit (1878)] will be bound shortly. He will send two copies, one of which can be given to CD. To SB’s surprise it has turned out to be an attack on CD’s views and a defence of Lamarck; describes how he was brought to the opinions expressed in it.

Sends CD his share of profits on Descent and Forms of flowers.

Wants to reprint Cross and self-fertilisation because supply of copies is entirely exhausted.

Congratulates CD on his Cambridge honour [LL.D.].

Sends proboscis of a Sphinx-moth that is 22 cms long.

Discusses eleven species of butterfly which visit Lantana, a plant which blooms only for three days and whose flowers are yellow on the first day, orange on the second, and purple on the third. Most species only visit the flowers when they are yellow.

Describes and draws the odiferous organs of a Sphinx-moth.

Describes a secondary sexual character of several species of Callidryas and other Pierinæ: the costal margin of the anterior wing is sharply serrated in the males, while it is smooth in the females.

LD is supplying coloured-glass light filters for CD’s experiments.

Suggests revisions in JDH’s 1877 Presidential Address to the Royal Society [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. (1877): 427–46].

On publishing details for various CD books.

Has no corrections for new issue of Descent [2d ed.].

Questions amount of cheque for profits.

Answers CD’s query about payment made to him [for Descent and Forms of flowers] and explains the basis on which it was made. Because of CD’s wish to be paid before editions are sold off, profits must be estimated. If he were willing to accept annual statements of sales, payments based on them, and final accounting when all were sold, there would be no uncertainty. This is JM’s usual practice.

Answers CD’s query about number of copies of Origin recently printed. Order to print 2000, rather than 1000, was given after JM’s annual sales showed demand was keeping up.

Cross and self-fertilisation will be stereotyped after CD’s corrections have been made.

Printer will be asked to keep type of Forms of flowers standing, for the present.

Congratulates W. E. Darwin, who is about to be married,

and CD for the LL.D. conferred upon him by Cambridge.

Thanks for accounts which make everything intelligible to him. Since he was glad to have Orchids published at one-half of profits for himself, he believes it would be very shabby to accept JM’s new offer of two-thirds profits. Thinks it would be fairer to both to change to JM’s usual practice with authors [i.e., annual statements of sales, payments based on them, and final accounting when all copies have been sold].

No summary available.

No summary available.

No summary available.

No summary available.