Showing 1–20 of 238 items
Information on Cyclamen and other plants.
Identification of some plants.
"Bloom".
AG’s review of Joseph Cook ["Lectures on biology", New Englander 37: 100–13].
Encourages CD to work at heliotropism.
Thinks Thomas Meehan is as "rattle-brained" as Joseph Cook.
[A damaged fragment cut from this letter is pinned to 11051.]
Has been investigating nutational movements of climbing plants; comments on the opinions of Julius von Wiesner and Julius Sachs. Remarks on the sleep movements of certain plants and the mechanism of tendril curvature. Is experimenting with Porlieria.
Has visited K. G. Semper’s laboratory.
Notes Julius Sachs’s opinion on the heliotropism of moulds: he can see no use in the response.
C. E. Stahl is working on swarm spores which can be made both helio- and apheliotropic.
Sachs has told him that some ferns sleep, and he suspects that some grasses may move.
Sachs also feels they may be working at bloom from a wrong point of view and suggests leaves may need to keep dry in order to keep their stomata open.
Sorry he was out when CD called.
Observations on insectivorous plants.
His brother Cecil is reading Coral reefs, and, as his business involves the Keeling Islands and Torres Straits, he offers to make any observations CD might want.
Sends curious, coloured pea seeds.
Sends CD Dr Wood’s lecture on insectivorous plants.
Had no intention of antagonising CD with his observations on Linum; was anxious to account for its apparently different behaviour.
Discusses various authors’ interpretations of the structure of the embryo of grasses.
Discusses the structure of grass embryos; states differing theories regarding which part of the seed corresponds to the cotyledon.
Wishes to borrow third part of Fritz Müller’s article on sexual selection in butterflies [Kosmos 2 (1877–8): 218–24].
Is forwarding material on stridulation, including Prof. Wood-Mason’s paper ["Note on Mygale stridulans", Trans. R. Entomol. Soc. Lond. (1877): 281–2], which should interest CD.
Sends cutting on origin of variety of merino sheep.
Would like references to works on breeding.
Cites language books; a comparison of them shows unity of language.
Constituents of spermaceti ointment supplied to CD. Perhaps effect was caused by substance used to bleach the bees-wax.
LD’s chemical analysis of lamp-black.
Has been testing lamp-black for ammonia.
Encloses some notes on maize that may be useful.
Invites CD to Kew.
He has obtained further evidence that rats gnaw through lead pipes for water. CD’s opinion that they hear trickling confirms his view that they possess reason.