Sends birthday greetings

and the good news of a subvention for the Zoological Station received from the German government. There are now 20 naturalists working at the Station.

It might be possible to borrow £500 [for potato experiments]. Variety of "The Champion" spreading over the Kingdom. Champion lately less able to produce.

Enjoyed HM’s castigation of Gaston Bonnier ["Gaston Bonniers angebliche Widerlegung der modernen Blumentheorie", Kosmos 7 (1880): 219–36].

Thanks society of students at Jena for birthday congratulations.

Thanks for articles by ASW in Gardeners’ Chronicle [see 12404]. Agrees with him.

Asks about growth of rootlets from knobs caused by fungus on roots of Cruciferae.

Torbitt too poor to go on with [potato] experiments. If anything is to be done it must be by Government.

At the inaugural meeting of the Epping Forest & Essex Naturalists’ Field Club, CD was elected an Honorary Member.

Would be glad to see RLT at Down if he thinks it fit to come there to deliver the address honouring CD.

Has been at work on Orchideae for Genera plantarum and has found CD’s Orchids wonderfully useful. Comments on some problems of botanical terminology.

Agrees not to reply to Butler.

Asks CD to telegraph a testimonial for him.

On clubroot fungus of cultivated Cruciferae.

Will give Russian wheat varieties another trial.

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

On instinct in insects. Intends to experiment as CD proposes.

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.

Thanks CD for his offer. Suggests it be used to start a fund to pay travel expenses of English naturalists who want to come to the Station.

The debt of plant geography to voyages may be JDH’s topic at BAAS meeting [at Swansea].

Photographs from New Zealand forwarded.

Forwards, on behalf of the Birmingham Philosophical Society, an address offering CD the first honorary membership of the Society. Encloses formal record of this meeting.

Plants in Venezuelan plains.

Observations on Turnera: heterostyly, leaf-base glands’ secretion eaten by ants.

Observations on role of leaf secretions in fertilisation of Marcgravia and Passiflora.