Has found Verlot.

His sister [Emily Catherine Langton] is dying [d. 2 Feb 1866].

His stomach still very bad. Writes one or two hours and reads a little.

JDH is a wretch to remind CD of his coal-plant prophecy.

Glad JDH will give Nottingham lecture.

Discusses pigeon and poultry woodcuts [for Variation].

WBT’s poultry book is at last in the hands of a solvent publisher [The poultry book (1867)].

Welcomes ARW’s paper on pigeons ["On the pigeons of the Malay Archipelago", Ibis 1 (1865): 365–400].

Influence of monkeys on distribution of pigeons and parrots.

Asks ARW to explain a passage in his paper on Malayan Papilionidae [Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 25 (1866): 1–71] on how dimorphic forms are produced. CD knows of varieties "that will not blend or intermix", but which produce offspring quite like either parent.

ARW’s remarks on geographical distribution in Celebes "will give a cold shudder to the immutable naturalists".

Presses ARW to work on his travel journal.

Sorrow about Mrs Langton. Has been haunted by death these six or eight years. Now cannot bear to look at children asleep in bed – a sight he once thought the loveliest thing in creation.

Thanks for the remittance.

Both WBT and Mr Zurhorst will repeat Zurhorst’s experiment to eliminate any chance of error.

Edward Blyth is writing on Indian cattle for the Field [27 (1866): 55–6, 77].

Thanks JH for corrections to the mirrors of his telescope. Says the telescope finally gives 'a satisfactory view of Saturn.' Discusses the lenses for BV's binocular telescope. Thinks photography could benefit from binocular vision.

No summary available.

Has just written to Longman's to say how pleased he will be if Miss Kerth translates his book into French. Regrets delay, but has been travelling in Italy.

Discusses exchange of photographs with German scientists.

Comments on attitudes of German scientists toward CD’s theory.

Names several scientists who exchanged photographs: Braun, Virchow, Leydig, and Dohrn.

Sending some of her photographs. Has won medals for her efforts but would like JH's opinion so it can be quoted. Has been very busy with photographic work. Her son has gone to Ceylon and she now has no children in the house.

Last fascicles of FR’s book Der Mensch [1866] being sent.

Finds roots of human race in Negroes of Africa, Bushmen of South Africa and New Guinea, and short-headed peoples of south Asia.

Has translated natural selection as natürliche Auslese.

Ludwig Rütimeyer active in developing the descent of mammals.

Sending a certificate proposing Professor William Selwyn; would JH add qualifications, sign it and send it on to G. B. Airy.

Sends a paper on Bombus ["On the habits of some species of humble-bees", Commun. Essex Inst. 4 (1866): 98–104].

Thinks that E. W. L. Tempel's comet may be connected with that of Biela. Comments on this.

Is seeking election to the Royal Society.

Thanks for photographs [of German scientists].

Corrects misinformation about refraction and dispersion of mercury ethyl and mercury methyl.

Thanks for all five numbers of Der Mensch [1866].

Had not known that Rütimeyer had written on modification of species.

Makes suggestions for the solution to the three point probability problem using integrals of infinity.

Obliged for JW’s information on variability of size of bees’ cells. Hexagonal cells not always work of several insects. W. H. Miller found great variability in thickness of cell walls.