Replies to CD’s inquiry about cross-breeds of strawberries [Collected papers 2: 70]. Has been crossing for years.

Returns Asa Gray letter. Gray has made a great blunder in his criticism of Oliver: he mistakes perpetuation of a variety for "propagation of variation". Confusion between "action of physical causes" and "effects of physical causes". Neither crossing nor natural selection has made so many divergent individuals, but simply variation. "If once you hold that natural selection can create a character your whole doctrine tumbles to the ground." CD’s failure to convey this, and the false doctrine that "like produces like" is at bottom of half the scientific infidelity to CD’s doctrine. There is something to the objection that CD has made a deus ex machina of natural selection since he neglects to dwell on the facts of infinite incessant variations.

Sends cheque to CD for Down parish charities.

He is going to S. America as captain of a ship. Offers to bring back fossils for CD and B. J. Sulivan.

He is going to domesticate the Patagonian bird "something like a guinea fowl" in Sussex. He shot the only Beagle specimen.

Sends strawberries.