Thanks AD and the naturalists at the Station for their birthday congratulations.

CD has been awarded the Bressa prize of the Accademia delle Scienze in Turin, and it occurs to him that if the Station wanted some apparatus costing about £100, he would like to pay for it.

CD pleased to be of use to GB. He remembers his own work on orchids with pleasure. Thinks GB will be able to improve CD’s terminology for orchids.

Seed germination.

Strange that his plants [of Megarrhiza] behaved differently from AG’s [see 12455].

Thanks for the honour conferred upon him by the Epping Forest Field Club.

Testimonial for S. B. J. Skertchly, stating CD’s high opinion of his work.

Discusses sense of direction of cats and other animals.

Speculates on origin of habit [of insects?] of laying eggs on plants of certain families.

Nature [21 (1880): 382] has an item about tremors and earth movements in Japan.

No one can prove death is inevitable, but the evidence in favour of this belief is overwhelming. It is in the highest degree improbable that man should cease to follow the general law of evolution, and evolution implies successive generations, which implies death.

Leaves decision as to use of his gift to AD.

Thanks HWC and the Birmingham Philosophical Society for their address in his honour.

Thanks correspondent for a gift of books.

Thanks JLC for his letter, pedigree, and MS of the history of the Darwin family.

Going to London today to speak to T. H. Farrer about funds for potato breeding experiments. "I have told Farrer I would subscribe £50."

[Letter written as a postscript to 11406.] CD has reread his letter of 7 Mar 1878 about the value of James Torbitt’s work on the potato disease and has nothing to withdraw. Emphasises Torbitt’s need for immediate financial help.

Is in town and will call on Sunday morning.

The Colonel [J. L. Chester] is pleased [see 12509].

Jos[iah Wedgwood III] is dying.

Thanks for LW’s work [Studien über die Stammesgeschichte der Ammoniten (1880)].

Encloses check [cheque!?] for £50. James Caird will guarantee £75 and T. H. Farrer £25. Above gentlemen think JT should get report on his experiments from independent agriculturists.

P.S. to letter posted that morning. James Caird cannot pledge £75. Erasmus Darwin and Hensleigh Wedgwood will subscribe. May write letter to the Times. Asks for report on experiments.