JDH reports on Frank’s reading of his Dipsacus paper at the Royal Society. Huxley slept through much of it, but JDH is well pleased with it.

Has read in the newspapers about the album of photographs of German scientists sent in tribute to CD. His name and photograph are missing only because he was not asked to participate. CC assures CD he is one of his ardent supporters.

Thanks for Orchids [2d ed.].

Does not feel his abstract of Cross and self-fertilisation [Am. J. Sci. 3d ser. 13 (1877): 125–41] was thorough enough.

Has heard of their sad bereavement last autumn [death of Amy, wife of Francis Darwin].

Asks CD to publish in Nature JGFR’s observation that natives of Hainan have movable tail bones up to 4 cm long.

As editor of the new journal, Kosmos, thanks CD for the permission he has granted Ernst Haeckel to publish with CD’s approval.

Cites his long support for evolution as exemplified by his book [Die botanische Systematik in ihrem Verhältniss zur Morphologie (1866)].

CD has many German supporters.

Congratulates CD on testimonials from the savants of Germany and the Netherlands [Nature 15 (1877): 356, 410–12] and generally on his contributions to biology.

Asks if and when CD’s "Variability of organic beings in a state of nature", as projected in 1868 [see Variation 1: 4] is to appear.

Discusses the cleistogamous flowers of Oxalis. Thinks they may not be truly cleistogamous but merely arrested or imperfectly developed normal flowers.

Sends belated birthday greetings

and an archaeological pamphlet.

Asks for CD’s autograph.

Fertilisation of orchids. Believes some plants so constituted as to dispense with cross-fertilisation.

Thinks flowers of Hottonia project from the stem nearly horizontally, perhaps slightly upwards.

Sorry that he cannot help with Pulmonaria angustifolia.

Sends cheques in payment of CD’s share of profits on Cross and self-fertilisation, now nearly exhausted,

and the latest printing of Origin.

Murray’s will not announce CD’s new work [Forms of flowers] until informed to do so.

Regrets he cannot help on Oxalis question. He did not note the names of species with cleistogamic flowers as he thought they were sufficiently known.

Oliver cannot, as CD has requested, hunt for trimorphic flowers in the Herbarium’s collection of Oxalis specimens. He would help Frank if he comes.

The editor of the Agricultural Gazette asks CD to settle a point being debated in his journal. Can a desirable breed of cattle, which is so inbred as to have scrofula, be maintained by crossing with a breed of healthy constitution?

Pangenesis supports the existence of gemmules; does not accept Galton’s experiments as disproving their existence or importance.

Encloses statement of sales for Origin, Expression, Descent and Insectivorous plants and sends a cheque for the balance due to CD.

A curious error – too late to change: in Cross and self-fertilisation CD has "cleistogenous" for "cleistogamous" flowers throughout.

Staying with W. D. Fox on the Isle of Wight. Offers to find Pulmonaria plants.

Thanks CD for new [2d] edition of Orchids.

Mentions some observations on dimorphic plants.

Reports on a third species of Pontederia [see Forms of flowers, p. 185].

Describes some unusual grasses.

Reports rumours from southern Brazil concerning the existence of a gigantic subterranean animal.