Testimonial for James Archer, who leaves CD’s service after six months.

A cheque written out for FD has never been presented to CD’s bankers.

Requests 50 copies of his paper ["Offspring of illegitimate unions of di- and trimorphic plants", J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.) 10 (1869): 393–437].

Encloses some queries.

Would also like information about proportion of male to female humming-birds.

Reference to OS’s paper in Ibis, vol. 2.

Is glad FM approves of a translation of Für Darwin.

Hopes FM will think well of Pangenesis.

Sexual differences in insect auditory and stridulating organs.

Read FM’s paper on Balanus with great interest ["On Balanus armatus", Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 4th ser. 1 (1868): 393–412].

Thinks SJOH is right not to return to Down. Asks him to forward certain documents. Hopes final arrangements will soon be made for a resident clergyman in Down.

As JS’s powers of observation seem to exist in all lines, CD begs further information from him and [H. N. B.] Erskine about the natives’ expressions of indignation, affirmation, and negation. The movements of the eyebrows and forehead of a girl in violent grief are of particular interest.

Do sub-breeds of pigeons exist in India as in Europe, but not in England? If so, what is the colour of the plumage in males and females at different stages of development?

Asks about camouflage of birds in the Sahara desert.

"I have seen the action on Ophrys exactly as you describe and am thoroughly ashamed of my inaccuracy."

Sorry JJW cannot visit.

Will go to sea-side for five weeks at end of July.

Does Vidua have double annual moult? [See Descent 2: 181.]

Congratulations on birth of daughter. CD used to dread birth-time.

Sexual selection has turned out to be a large subject.

Discusses possible English translation of A. E. Brehm’s [Illustrirtes] Thierleben [1864–9].

Asks for permission to use 15 of Brehm’s illustrations [in Descent].

Thanks BDW for new facts about Anthocaris [see 6156].

Asks BDW to observe stridulation apparatus in male and female lamellicorns.

W. S. Dallas asks whether Ray Society would publish translation of Haeckel’s Generelle morphologie. If THH thinks suggestion good, he might make inquiries.

Family news.

CD writes in detail about difficulties with Horsman’s financial accounts and the affairs of the parish.

Sends second lot of grass grown from locust dung pellets from Natal.

Has been looking at the school accounts. Has any interest been paid to S. J. O’H. Horsman this year? CD will keep accounts temporarily; he has not yet received from Horsman the balance in hand from last year.

On Pour le Mérite; JDH has made him think more highly of it.

Messiah is the one thing he would like to hear again, but thinks his soul might be too dried up now to appreciate it. Sometimes hates science for making him "a withered leaf" for everything else.

Frank [Darwin] now doing botany seriously.

CD thanks JJW for letter about the crimson breast of linnets

and the fate of a pugnacious female bullfinch.

Refers to JJW’s pointing out the number of Jenners and Weirs who have been naturalists, and cites some writings by men of those families about striking cases of birds.

Expresses thanks and pleasure at what GB has said about his book [Variation] in GB’s [Presidential] Address [to the Linnean Society, 1868, Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. (1868): lvii–c]. "What you say about Pangenesis quite satisfies me".

CD discussed "bud-variation" to show that it was an error to believe all variability is due to sexual generation.