Sends tuber of Chilean wild potato, requested through Hooker and P. L. Sclater.

Plans to exhibit a bird’s foot with a large ball of clay attached. This phenomenon supports CD on seed dispersal.

Thanks for CD’s answers on Passiflora

and Asa Gray review.

Has observed gradation of sterility in Oncidium species.

Has observed rostellar germination and fertilisation in Laelia. The latter was prevented in Bletia by covering the stigma with plaster of Paris.

Gongora atropurpurea capsules are swelling.

Discusses the Duke of Argyll’s article on the supernatural [Edinburgh Rev. 116 (1862): 378–97].

Has heard that the Incas married their sisters; this may be worth investigating as a case of inbreeding.

Wants to know when he may visit CD.

Evidence of tropical floras continuous since Tertiary cannot fit CD’s position on intermittent cold periods.

Agrees with CD on reversion and latency.

Charles Martins of Montpellier will collect the varieties of silkworm for CD.

QdeB is battling with the polygenists in the Société d’Anthropologie.

Encloses strawberry blossoms used in his crossing experiments.

Sends CD seeds of Cattleya crispa as requested [see Collected papers 2: 77–8].

Anticipates success for his attempts to cross orchids artificially. Has not had a single seed germinate from a pod that was not produced by artificial crossing.

Conducted crosses on Gladiolus varieties exactly according to CD’s letter. Flowers of same variety are self-sterile, whether from the same plant or not.

Provides evidence of self-sterility in Gladiolus.

Has observed three seed-leaves in some Dianthus seedlings.

Cannot cross, or grow from seed, Dielytra spectabilis.

JL is off to visit Scotch "kjökken möddings".

Hopes Lyell is not really vexed by his article.

Has seen some curious hybrid ducks and geese of Bartlett’s. Bartlett will do experiments suggested by CD when he has time.

Preparations under way to move to London account for delay in thanking CD for his review [Collected papers 2: 87–92].

His book is finished, and he is sending a copy to CD; owing to the great expense few copies will be sent to reviewers.

The war is nearly finished, "rebeldom is ""gone up"" ".

Continues to support, in debates at the Société d’Anthropologie, the view that variability of animals and anatomical modifications are produced by environment. Wishes to use CD’s niata cattle example from Journal of researches [2d ed., pp. 145–6].

Thanks for CD’s Linum paper [Collected papers 2: 93–105].

Has not published much because he would be ignored as a gardener; hence he is looking for a foreign appointment.

Has prepared orchid sterility paper at CD’s suggestion [Trans. Bot. Soc. Edinburgh 7 (1863): 543–50].

Is ready to make some arrangement to repay CD’s bond. Has written to F. Ransome to help arrange repayment and wants CD to write his opinion of a fair scheme.

Hopes CD will finish and bring out his book on variation.

AG will publish extracts of H. W. Bates’s paper on mimetic analogy [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 36 (1863): 279–94].

Thanks CD for specimens which show that an abnormality in one genus is normal in another, which bears on CD’s views on descent.

The ovule of Primula is amphitropous or what J. Georg Agardh calls apotropo-amphitropous [see Theoria systematis plantarum (1858), tab. 24, fig. 5–6].