Wishes he had known of the views of Hippocrates, which are almost identical to his Pangenesis hypothesis. CD advances it as provisional, but secretly expects some such view will have to be admitted.
Acknowledges receipt of bill for £420.
Will try to attend Athenaeum meeting to help elect Clowes’s son.
Would like to meet with WBT while in London.
States his intentions regarding Horace’s future education. CD thought he had made those intentions clear in an earlier letter.
Any notes on idea of human beauty by natives who have little association with Europeans would interest CD.
Also influence of females on males’ choice.
Sends copy of Queries about expression.
Sends GGS examples of feathers from an albino peacock and repeats his query about the zones of colour [see 5950].
Regrets and apologises for a misunderstanding regarding Horace’s leaving Clapham School. Is sure he wrote an earlier letter which AW evidently did not receive.
Assures AW he has not hurt Horace’s feelings. CD has always been doubtful about a private tutor for Horace. Fears a letter [giving notice of removal] was lost in the post.
Thanks for facts about birds displaying plumage during courtship; "for Butterflies I must trust to analogy altogether in regard to sexual selection".
Invites JJW to visit in summer.
CD arranging for a translation of FM’s Für Darwin by W. S. Dallas.
Asks whether RT will call.
For experiment on effect of male beauty, pigeons should be coloured on the breast.
On his Primula paper for the Linnean Society ["On the specific difference between Primula veris, Brit. Fl. (var. officialis, Linn.), P. vulgaris, Brit. Fl. var. acaulis, Linn.), and P. elatior, Jacq.; and on the hybrid nature of the common oxlip; with supplementary remarks on naturally produced hybrids of the genus Verbascum", [officinalis!?] J. Linn. Soc. Lond. (Bot.) 10 (1869): 437–54].
Peacocks and sexual selection.
ARW’s sterility argument has driven CD’s sons half-mad.
Requests information on the standard of beauty of savages and on whether the female has any influence in selecting a male.
The second volume of Lyell’s [Principles, 10th ed.] gives a "fair history of the progress of opinion on Species".
Pleased by allusion to Pangenesis: "an untried hypothesis is always dangerous ground".
Looks forward to chapter on domestication and on man.
CD asks about HD’s observation of sexual call of Coleoptera.
Also comments on statements by collectors that they breed more females than males from caterpillars. CD had thought this might be accounted for by the collection of largest and finest caterpillars, but Alexander Wallace says the collectors take large and small equally. Does HD agree with Wallace?
Sends his niece’s [Lucy Wedgwood] observations on worms, vouches for her accuracy, and suggests the piece be inserted in Gardeners’ Chronicle [see "Worms", Gard. Chron. (1868): 324].
Adds his thanks for a "very kind review" of his book [Variation, Gard. Chron. (1868): 124].
On problem of sterility, CD cannot persuade himself that it has been gained by natural selection.
On sexual selection and minute variations, he tends to agree with ARW. Sends George Darwin’s notes on ARW’s argument.
Corrects error in spelling of name [in Variation].
Arranges for RT to call.