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Down, Beckenham, Kent.

Jan. 1 73

Dear Madam

I am very much obliged for your kind letter; and should esteem it a great favour if during warm weather next summer you will observe two points for me in Drocera Filiformis. Namely to place some flies within quarter of an inch of the apex of the leaf and observe whether it bends at all after an interval of a day or two. Secondly to rub with a clean needle a few of the glands with some little force, and to touch each gland half a dozen times; and then observe whether in the course of an hour or two the hairs or filaments bearing these glands become incurved. I am glad to hear that D. filiformis catches only small insects, as I suspected this. I have observed with care several other species of Drocera. Does the Dionaea grow in your neighbourhood? If so I much wish to learn what sort of insects it commonly catches, more especially whether large or small kinds. I have sometimes suspected that Its structure and movements favour the escape of small insects.

Dr. Gray has given a rather free translation of what I said to him about nerves; and this related only to drocera. I have

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found that by pricking a particular point in the leaf I can paralyze half of it; but I must make many more trials next summer before coming to any final conclusion.

With my best thanks

I remain Dear Madam

Yours very faithfully

Charles Darwin

P.S. I subscribe to the American Naturalist, so I am glad to say that I shall see your article.

(Letter dictated, corrected and signed by Darwin. Postscript is his own.)