Sends paper on the coasts of Alaska.

Wishes to sell his large Russian palaeontological collection.

Wants to get in touch with American (Mr Dall), who is going to study geology of Alaskan and Aleutian coast.

Asks CD whether he will find a translator and publisher for a paper Dr A wrote in 1870, siding with Carl Vogt in defence of CD’s view of descent of man.

Battle for CD’s nomination to the French Academy continues.

A friend of JJA’s wants CD’s opinion on whether the disease porigo decalvans (hair falling out in clumps) demonstrates the link between man and dogs and has continued to evolve with man after he passed out of his "hairy-animal state".

Capt. [Richard?] Burton disagrees with CD’s notion of beauty in the abstract, and would like to meet him.

Has no objection to CD’s alluding to FM’s idea that sexual selection has come into play in mimetic butterflies.

Reports observations on other butterflies and on termites.

His father has gone to Egypt.

Tells of visit to circus.

Has some birds which are allegedly the result of a cross between a common fowl and a guinea-fowl; describes their appearance, and will provide CD with likenesses.

Sends a pamphlet [not identified] in which he applies the principle of natural selection to the working of legislative institutions.

Gives results of probing worm-holes with wire.

Discusses his paper on mimicry and natural selection [Land and Water 9 (1871): 321]. Believes natural selection tends to fix mimetic characters rigidly.

Louis Agassiz is going on a voyage to the Falklands, and BJS wonders whether it is worth while telling him of the Gallegos fossil bed so that he can investigate.

William [Hooker] is in first division of matriculation list of London University.

Other family news.

No news on Ayrton affair. Ayrton has taken staff appointments out of JDH’s hands.

Asks whether CD knows about Zizania aquatica – can hardly believe it is an annual.

Wants references to the work of Julius von Haast and James Hector on New Zealand glaciers, which CD mentions in the Origin [6th ed., p. 335].

Discusses the roles of natural and sexual selection in producing mimicry, and the problem of explaining the cause of the first mimetic variation; considers the ideas of A. R. Wallace and Fritz Müller on this problem.

Reminisces on the evening he, B. J. Sulivan, and J. C. Wickham from the Beagle spent with CD, nearly ten years ago.

Hopes the mission at Tierra del Fuego will not "improve" the people to extinction.

Calls CD’s attention to Andrew Jackson Davis’ work on the origin of man,

philosophy of evil,

the mode of producing rain at pleasure,

and who and what is God.

Expands on a letter to Nature concerning the probability of the survival of a new variety in a given species. Differs with [F. Jenkin’s] argument, to which CD had agreed to a greater extent than JB feels it deserved.

Asks to have one pair of rabbits sent to him; is abandoning experiments with the rats.

Notes the occurrence in U. S. of "vermiform piles" produced by earthworms.

Accedes to CD’s request to let Appleton have a set of stereotypes of the 6th English edition of Origin at a little above cost.