Last letter was written to be passed on for Lushington’s edification. "(Standing on the points of my toes and my tail very stiff)." Is tiring of controversy as a waste of time. Begins to understand CD’s sufferings over Origin.

Envies JDH’s Russian trip.

Thanks for information on Aucuba. Urges him to experiment – case "has highest physiological importance, not to mention Pangenesis".

Has heard that Huxley has been attacking views of Sir W. Thomson.

Has received 12 plants of Drosophyllum lusitanicum from Oporto.

LR undertakes translation of Orchids [1870]. Awaits CD’s new footnotes and intends to look at every flower CD mentions.

On English edition of Für Darwin; CD’s gratitude and admiration.

Suggests that Cupples weigh puppies from one week old, rather than two weeks old.

Would have liked to come to lunch, but has been talking so much to Hooker that he has no strength left.

Thanks for THH’s address [to Geological Society, Q. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 25 (1869): 28–53]. Admires it and enjoyed attack on William Thomson hugely, but would tremble if he were in THH’s boots. Distinction made by THH between evolutionists and uniformitarians is too great. CD’s sentences on age of world in Origin will do, but he might have been less timid had he read THH.

The cirripede material mentioned in CD’s letter of 10 Feb has not arrived. [Asks CD to inquire of Williams and Norgate, who forwarded it.]

Discusses views of Wallace, H. N. Moseley, and Croll on the mechanics of glacier movement.

Comments on Wallace’s new book [The Malay Archipelago (1869)].

CD will supply the sheets of the new edition of the Origin [5th ed. (1869)] if JD goes ahead with his work [Kurze Darstellung der Lehre Darwin’s über die Entstehung der Arten der Organismen (1870)]. Has no objection to JD’s quoting him, but wonders whether the German publisher of Origin might not feel injured.

Asks about coat colour of elk,

the mane of American bison,

and about sexual preferences of female deer.

His observations of the chickens hatched from eggs of an isolated pair of pure-bred black-boned fowl. Nine were black-boned, two were like ordinary fowl.

Quotes a Mr Holdsworth on unusual expressions of Singhalese and Tamils in pointing and beckoning.

Has given a lecture series on Darwinism which was attended by 200–500 students.

Would like to compile a list of CD’s works.

Comments on Wallace’s Malay Archipelago.

Mentions his publication [Die Bildungsgesetze der Vogeleier (1869)].

Comments on importance of heredity for evolution.

Will look for sex ratio statistics.

Will weigh pups.

Deerhound breeding;

wolves.

Proportion of sexes in pigeons, pigs, and pheasants.

Sexual preferences of females.

Comments on Fritz Müller’s book [Facts and arguments for Darwin].

Responds to CD’s corrections of his work [Malay Archipelago].

Plumage of birds of paradise.

Sends two of his publications ["Bericht über die wissenschaftlichen Fortschritte der Thierzucht", Jahrb. Landwirtsch. (1869) and "Die Aufgaben der landwirtschaftlicher Biotechnik", Landwirtsch. Wochenbl. (1869)].

Thanks MW for two publications [see 6682].