Sends copy of Origin.

Discusses stripes on hybrid of donkey and wild ass.

Will let ADB know if lady consents to sending rabbits to [Zoological] Gardens.

Asks about gestation of Canidae.

Bearer brings three Porto Santo rabbits. Will ADB keep them and see whether they can be crossed with some other breed? CD believes they have become much reduced in size and modified in colour since their introduction into the island.

Asks for name of the birds that have only once obtained summer plumage.

Wishes he could persuade ADB to experiment to see whether bower-birds prefer gay colours.

Thanks ADB for Limulus.

Does Callithrix sciureus wrinkle the skin around its eyes when it screams? Do the eyes become suffused with moisture?

Asks whether any goose sifts water with its beak.

Can ADB allow T. W. Wood to sketch one of his dogs in hostile and friendly positions?

Do elephants in the Zoological Gardens carry tails aloft when excited?