Thanks for use of CD’s collection.

Comments and queries on the botany of the Southern Hemisphere.

Looks forward to seeing CD’s Galapagos plants.

Describes circumstances surrounding discovery of seed in sand-pit. Encloses certificates testifying to the good character of the men involved.

Chalcidites collected by CD are all similar to those of Europe. Mentions other specimens quite different from European forms.

Henslow has sent him CD’s Galapagos plants along with Macrae’s. JDH impressed by the island endemism, which "overturns all our preconceived notions" on centres of radiation. Describes the extent, and the sharp demarcation at longitude 60° W, of the American and European Northern Hemisphere floras. CD’s plants among those he is using to do Antarctic flora. Drimys winteri shows a graded series of states down the length of the South American continent.

Remarks on geographical divisions of the flora of the Southern Hemisphere.

JDH beginning Galapagos plants. Value of studying insular floras with respect to inquiries about adaptation of species.

Island floras; relationships with mainland. Ranges of species in mundane genera.

Galapagos plants one-third done.

Thanks for information on Malden Island. Comments on its plants and their relationship to the Galapagos flora. Discusses the flora of Oceania. Gives his opinion on the extent of the uniformity in species and forms amongst South Sea Islands. Large genera are more widely diffused and have a larger proportion of species with wide ranges.

Seeks advice on expense of preparing plates [for Flora Antarctica].

Regularly attends Owen’s lectures. Owen at pains to show groups are not linked. Thus makes Lepidosiren appear fish-like.

GRW thinks embryology will become chief guide to insect classification. But contradictions between classification based on embryological and adult characters do occur.

Answer to CD’s query on genera and species ranges.

Comments on typical forms.

Preparing first part of Galapagos plants for printing.

Defines the term "typical species" and discusses its use among zoologists. Cites example of type of Carnivora. Comments on general law of development of parts in animals. Cites teeth of Carnivora.

Is puzzled by CD’s question about the Viverridae; thinks if there were only one species he might regard it as an aberrant of some other group and not select it as a type of the Carnivora.

Sends calculations of angles of elevation [of sea-bottom, for South America?].

Swale has sent Lady Willoughby’s diary, which EAD will forward to CD.

Sends Lord Enniskillen’s account of origin of the Irish yew: transplanted from the wild; propagated by cuttings thereafter. Offspring recently raised from seed are intermediate between common and Irish [weeping] yew.

[Recto is a list of Galapagos shells, by island, signed GBS. Verso is another list of shells in EF’s hand.]

Thanks for earth samples. Discusses Infusoria in samples from Galapagos and Cape Verde Islands. Would like samples from other sites. Will send further results of investigations.

Thanks for shipments of earth samples. Sends copy of article describing Infusoria in samples ["Einige vorläufige Resultate … über das Verhalten des kleinsten Lebens in den Oceanen", Ber. k. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin (1844): 182–207]. Asks for more information and samples, especially from the soundings of Ross’s expedition.

Suggests there is a direct relation between temperature and abundance of plant species.

Discusses the connection between climate and vegetation. Believes that an equable climate is unfavourable to increase of species either by importation or modification of existing forms; illustrates his view with reference to particular floras. Hopes to acquire facts to support CD’s idea that isolation is important in producing new forms. Considers the floras of islands some of which do have distinctive species but others of which do not. Agrees that the wide ranges of cryptogams are a consequence of their means of dispersal. Asks for references to works on original creation and species mutability in order to get the best notions of "the (mad) theories of some men from Lamarck’s twaddle upwards".

Has never heard of species of same genus [of parasites] being found on both birds and mammals, or different genera and species being found on animals in the domestic and wild states. Implications of this for relationship of aperea and guinea-pig.

Sends notes on Infusoria for Ehrenberg.

Comments on distribution of species in natural orders that have local distributions. Intermediate forms between species of Lycopodium.