Thanks JDH for extract on Hedychium pollination; it shows CD’s prior interpretation was incorrect.

Thanks JC-B for copy of Medical Reports of the West Riding Lunatic Asylum.

Has been testing the digestive powers of Drosera; wants to know whether a group of substances that elicit similar responses are related.

Asks JDH for leaves of Byblis and Roridula to examine, and D. Oliver for an anomalous species of Utricularia.

Doubts whether sudden and great variations often occur.

Comments on colours of flowers.

Acknowledges the information about the phosphate and about putrefaction. Regrets that there is no knowledge of the conjectured substance. [See 9671.]

CD responds [to 9667] with description of his own effort to study Aldrovanda and his observations on the structure of Dionaea.

His admiration for FJC’s earlier studies of the Venus’s fly-trap.

He urges FJC to proceed promptly with publication of his memoir on Aldrovanda [Beiträge zur Biologie der Pflanzen 1, Heft 3 (1875): 71–92].

Discusses the powers of digestion of Drosera and why certain substances produce less excitement in the plant than others.

Thanks WHMC and the Astronomer Royal for informing him of the safe arrival of the Merope [Leonard Darwin’s ship] at New Zealand. [See 9677.]

Thanks him for specimens.

Writes about AHF’s book on Swiss ants.

Recounts his own observations on ants carrying cocoons.

Thanks WBD for his book, Cave hunting (1874).

Thanks for Quarterly Review [Oct 1874, containing G. H. Darwin’s letter and a rejoinder]. Is convinced the author is Mivart. Is therefore not surprised at malice in the article attacking his son [George Darwin] and grossly misrepresenting CD.

Advice to GHD on whether to accept invitation to lecture at the Royal Institution.

Murray has sent the Quarterly Review issue. CD has told Murray that he is convinced Mivart is the author and what he thinks of him.

Returns insectivorous plants to Kew, with questions about their range. Most species seem to have remarkably confined ranges.

Asks for a Bengal Aldrovanda leaf so that he can see whether it differs from the German species.

Roridula interested him extremely.

Sends index [of Descent, 2d ed.] with instructions for proof-reading.

Asks GHD questions about heat transmission; he wants to use it as an analogy to illustrate transmission of motor impulses through leaves of Dionaea.

Writes about instructions to compositor and return of proofs [of Descent]. Requests return of 2d volume of Descent, to which he may want to refer.

Thanks GHD for clear lecture on heat.

Will keep paper on proportion of sexes, in case GHD wants it again.

Wants him to translate some pages of Swedish or Norwegian sent by A. W. Malm, "a good man".

Glad to see the statistical paper ["Theory of exchange value", Fortn. Rev. n.s. 17 (1875): 243–53].

Thanks for a paper on the reproductive organs of fish.

Has always admired AWM’s work on the Pleuronectidae (Bidrag till kännedom af Pleuronektoidernas utveckling och byggnad (Contribution to knowledge of the development and structure of the Pleuronectidae); Malm 1867).

Orders two bottles of chlorodyne and bottles and corks of various sizes.