Inquires about the structure and formation of bees’ comb; is interested in seeing its form at the commencement of building.
Relates events at home;
hopes WED gets the scholarship.
[Six fragments, mainly diagrams.] The geometry of bees’ cells.
Arranges meeting with JDH at Thatched House Tavern.
Eager for JDH’s reaction to MS on large and small genera.
CD’s health has been poor owing to hard work [on Natural selection]. He has to treat of every branch of natural history, which is beyond his strength.
Arrangements for JDH to visit Down for weekend.
Has come to heavy grief about bees’ cells, unless Huber is wrong [François Huber, New observations on the natural history of bees, new ed. (1841)].
Discusses cart-horses and stripes on a Belgiman [Belgian?].
Will return Benjamin Jowett’s Epistles of St Paul (Jowett 1855) and requests several books, of which the latest is Hugh Miller’s Cruise of the Betsey (Miller 1858).
CD’s receipt of diploma from Caesarea Leopoldino-Carolina Academy [Dresden].
Hopes to begin pigeon MS in a week.
Has lately been working on bees’ cells and wishes very much to examine a cylindrical one.
Gives calculations on the structure of bees’ cells.
Encloses projections and models relating to geometry of bees’ cells.
Pleased with JDH’s reaction to MS on large and small genera.
Confident of soundness of principle of divergence.
CD experimenting on pollination mechanism of Leguminosae. Asks JDH to investigate Fumariaceae.
Discusses bees’ cells. Wants hive and swarm; would be glad to have WBT’s box with commenced cells. "I am partly a disciple of Waterhouse, but not wholly."
Sends a model of bee cells "as bad as a Chinese puzzle". [A series of paper cut-out figures.]
Acknowledges receipt of £242 11s. 10d.
Thanks for queen-bee larva and pupa.
Nervous system of Coccus.
Discusses instinct in ducks and turkeys.
Reports a case of the inheritance of an acquired characteristic in a pig.
No summary available.
Encloses MS by A. R. Wallace. CD has been forestalled. " . . . if Wallace had my MS sketch written out in 1842 he could not have made a better short abstract!" Wallace does not say if he wishes CD to publish MS, but CD will offer to send it to journal.