Johan Ernst Gunnerus thanks Linnaeus for a letter [presumably Linnaeus to Gunnerus, 20 March 1768{L4052}] and his Systema naturae, 12th, edition; I-II [Gunnerus means the first and second parts, “Regnum animale” and ”Regnum Vegetabile”] which Henrik Tonning has sent him. There is much new in the work. Gunnerus longs for the third volume on the Mineral Kingdom [the ”Regnum Lapideum”, which was to be published in 1768].
Gunnerus will soon send Linnaeus the fish ”Lodde” in alcohol, together with a description of the bigger variety of ”Lodde”, in order to be fully convinced whether it really is Salmo eperlanus. He will also send the little animal that he wrote about in the previous letter, and which Linnaeus means resembles a Monoculus. Gunnerus also encloses a description of a mollusc that comes close to Ascidias [Gunnerus’s description was published in his ”Nogle smaa rare og meestendeelen nye Norske søedyr"]. When he first saw this animal he thought that it was an Alcyonium epipetrum Having, however, cut it up, he now brings it to genus Ascidia. Gunnerus thanks Linnaeus for his answers to the previous questions.