Thanks GWN for condolences on death of Amy, his daughter-in-law.

Encloses coral specimen and manuscript account of it by William Lonsdale.

Asks WCM to design additional rooms for Down House.

Mr Laslett, a builder, will meet WCM on Tuesday.

CD is much interested in a change in Drosera reported by GC, but "rather doubts" exclusion of insects can have caused it; would like to see the plant and suggests sending it to Down.

Mr Laslett’s estimate is too high. Mr Deards is quicker and better. Discusses building details for house improvement.

Has received copy of CL’s Principles [7th ed.].

Comments on reading Annales des sciences naturelles.

David Milne’s and Robert Chambers’ views on Glen Roy.

Mentions sales of South America.

Describes visit to his father at Shrewsbury.

Discusses certificate proposing GJR as Fellow of Royal Society.

Declines offer involving embryological studies.

Discusses possible case of inherited memory involving Pompilus. Cites similar example of electric eel.

Accedes to her [unspecified] request.

Thanks for specimens [of insects].

Wonders whether difference between male and female plays part in fertilisation of fig.

Flowers of Oxalis sensitiva, sent long ago, are trimorphic and cleistogamic.

Regrets that GJR was passed over for membership in Royal Society. Discusses criteria applied by Council.

Comments on correspondence between CL and Whewell [concerning university reform].

Criticises S. G. Morton’s "Hybridity in animals" [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 3 (1847): 39–50, 203–12].

CD has sent the pig’s foot to William Henry Flower to examine.

‘The pigs-foot has been dispatched to day per Rail.’

Discusses abnormal pig’s foot sent to him by CD.

Thanks him for book by Grant Allen [Physiological aesthetics (1877)].

Comments on dispute over spontaneous generation.

The Council [of the Royal Society] will not print Frank Darwin’s paper on Dipsacus [in Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond.].

Mentions GJR’s grafting experiments

and his investigation of spiritualism.

Sends quotation from Lamarck’s Philosophie zoologique [(1809), 2: 318] on effects of habit.

Discusses effects of natural selection. Discusses absence of blending between geographical races as a problem. Discusses effect of natural selection on productivity of an organism.

Comments on GJR’s review of Grant Allen’s book [Physiological aesthetics (1877)].