Has found a remarkable anatomical character in the niata skull of which he wrote [see 5540]. Asks whether the skull CD brought from South America [at the Royal College of Surgeons] shows the same character. If so, it would provide incontestable evidence of the origin of this race of cattle.

Thanks JDH for offer of lilies.

The paper on orchids is by Hermann Müller [Verh. Naturhist. Ver. Preuss. Rheinlande & Westphalens 25 (1868): 1–62], on Platanthera and Epipactis.

Cites another work by P. Rohrbach [Über den Blüthenbau (1866)].

MS [of Descent] ready for printer.

Has read Bentham’s last Linnean Society [Presidential] Address [Proc. Linn. Soc. Lond. (1870): lxxiv–xciv] with great interest.

Thanks BJS for a journal and an interesting letter.