Describes his view on colour [of plumage] of males and females – i.e., that absence of brilliant colour in either sex is due to need for protection in incubation, rather than to sexual selection.

Sends a root of a wild oat-grass from California and the root of a variety of barley that came from it. Several varieties of barley, all differing from English varieties, came up in the same bed of oat-grass. "The transmutation of a genus seems almost incredible" but TR has seen so many changes he has ceased to doubt strongly.

What does JH think of the idea of establishing a meteorological observatory on the Pic du Midi?