Family illnesses.

On disposition of wild honeycomb gift.

Discounts the difficulty presented by ostrich wings.

Baffling problems with Melastoma. Appreciates ARW’s help with it and the "gorze case".

Has read report of ARW’s paper [to Newcastle BAAS meeting, "On the geographical distribution of animal life"] in the Reader [2 (1863): 352–3].

[No informatiion about content.]

Asa Gray’s high opinion of ARW as a reviewer [reference to S. Haughton’s paper on bees’ cells, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3d ser. 11 (1863): 415–29, reviewed by ARW in "Remarks on the Rev. S. Haughton’s paper", Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3d ser. 12 (1863): 303–9].

Response to ARW’s papers on Papilionidae ["On the phenomena of variation and geographical distribution", Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 25 (1866): 1–71; abstract in Reader 3 (1864): 491–3],

and man ["The origin of human races", J. Anthropol. Soc. Lond. 2 (1864): clviii–clxxxvi].

The former is "really admirable" and will be influential.

The idea of the man paper is striking and new. Minor points of difference. Conjectures regarding racial differences; the possible correlation between complexion and constitution. His Query to Army surgeons to determine this point. Offers ARW his notes on man, which CD doubts he will be able to use.

On sexual selection in "our aristocracy"; primogeniture is a scheme for destroying natural selection.

[Letter incorrectly dated March by CD.]

Short reply to ARW’s long letter. Reaffirms belief in sexual selection.

Postscript on M.-J.-P. Flourens’ "little dull book against me" [Examen du livre de M. Darwin (1864)].

Asks permission to bring Fanny Allen to CB’s party.

Regrets he cannot accept invitation. "My health will not at present stand going out in the evenings."

Commends ARW’s papers on parrots

and on the theory of geographical distribution [see 4750].

Wild pigs in Aru Islands must have been introduced and later ran wild. Does ARW have an opinion on the subject?

Is so unwell today that he is unable to come [to CB’s party].

Exchange of photographs.

Aru pigs present perplexing case, whether wild or domesticated.

Asks to be allowed to bring his sister to CB’s party "that she may see the World".

Has read and admires FM’s work on species.

Observations on Crustacea are good and original; asks FM to dissect and check some of CD’s observations on cirripedes.

Has sent "Climbing plants" paper [J. Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. 9 (1865): 1–118] and would like to send Orchids.

Thanks for interesting letter on climbing plants.

FM’s view on Anelasma seems probable.

Difficulty quoted by FM from A. Agassiz on embryology of Echinodermata is quite beyond CD.

Crests as inherited variations; domesticated birds.

Belief in value of travel journals.

Current reading.

Thanks SB for his Evidence [for the resurrection of Jesus Christ (1865)], the main argument of which is new to CD. He particularly agrees with the preface.

Has been confined to his bedroom for the last five months.

Thanks SB for letter of 1 October.

Returns the printed letter in which SB replied to the Bishop [of Wellington, N. Z.]; it amused him.

Is sending FM’s two letters on climbing plants as a paper to the Linnean Society ["Notes on some of the climbing plants near Desterro, in south Brazil", J. Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.) 9 (1867): 344–9].

Adaptations for pollination in Catasetum.

Has forwarded FM’s MS to Max Schultze, but did not read it.

Movement of stem apex in Linum.

Haeckel’s paper on reproduction in certain Medusae.

Has read FM’s paper on sponges ["Über Darwinella aurea", Arch. Miskrosk. Anat. 1 (1865): 344–53] with interest.

Has also read FM’s work on the metamorphoses of Peneus [Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 3d ser. 14 (1864): 104–15], an interesting and important embryological discovery.

CD regards Louis Agassiz’s opinions as valueless.