Reports that dogs caught in the act of sodomy have been attacked by their fellows, who mutilate the offender’s genitals.

Gives a description of the nature and occurrence of the wild Bos of Formosa.

Autobiographical letter describing how, when he could not conscientiously take orders, he went to New Zealand and has now returned to England to study art.

Fascinated and delighted by Origin

and is pleased that his pamphlet [Evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ] pleases CD.

Sends, for JH's signature, request from daughter of the late W. R. Hamilton for continuance of Hamilton's pension.

Has returned from holiday. Family news.

Concern over Hooker’s health.

Information concerning improvements in the Reader under new sponsorship.

Current reading and work [on pigeons for Ibis 1 (1865): 365–400, and catalogue of his collection of birds].

Book of travels postponed indefinitely.

Encloses letter [from A. R. Wallace?] about the Reader.

Wants his opinion of a letter from Fritz Müller on climbing plants.

Sends a copy of the address of the President of the B.A.A.S. at Birmingham, also an Aylesbury newspaper containing the funeral sermon on Admiral W. H. Smyth. Misses Smyth very much. Hopes JH is well.

Admiral FitzRoy’s daughters by his first marriage have been left without means. The largest subscription to the fund has been £100.

JH's daughter Maria is getting married. JH has been ill. The Iliad translation is almost finished.

A French civil engineer having proposed in the previous issue of the IO the idea of supporting roofs on the principle of the suspension bridge, JH reports that JH came up with this idea in 1836 and provides a sketch of such that JH made in that year.

Was in Paris when JH's letter arrived. Will print JH's article. Asks if there are changes to be made. Discusses future project Physique sociale, which will include theory of probability applied to ethics and political science.

Has done nothing since 1 May. Slowly getting better under Bence Jones’s diet.

The Reader has been sold – would regret its failure as a newspaper for general science.

Pangenesis is recovering from shock it received from THH’s criticism.

Requests JH's opinions on his theories of origins of language. Believes Hebrew is the root of all languages.

Thanks AS for his letter. Offers congratulations to newly married Maria Herschel. Will be returning to Cambridge to give his 46th course of lectures.

Thanks SB for letter of 1 October.

Returns the printed letter in which SB replied to the Bishop [of Wellington, N. Z.]; it amused him.

Asks if JH anticipated the results of W. L. Newman's work on lens curvature.

Requests that JH send a few lines for a friend of HK's who is trying to develop a facsimile reproduction system.

On novels he has been reading: Eliot, Richardson, etc.

On Wallace, the Reader, and anthropology.

Experiments with string and elastic paper answered well.

Does JW know Ferdinand Cohn’s paper on contraction of stamens of certain Compositae [Edinburgh New Philos. J. n.s. 18 (1863): 190–4]?

Formerly made observations on movement in plants, but weak health has made it impossible to publish.

No summary available.