Asks whether CD has observed that bees limit their visits to a single kind of flower on each journey from the hive, as Aristotle has said they do. What advantage would such a limitation be to the insects?
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The Charles Darwin Collection
The Darwin Correspondence Project is publishing letters written by and to the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882). Complete transcripts of letters are being made available through the Project’s website (www.darwinproject.ac.uk) after publication in the ongoing print edition of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin (Cambridge University Press 1985–). Metadata and summaries of all known letters (c. 15,000) appear in Ɛpsilon, and the full texts of available letters can also be searched, with links to the full texts.
Asks whether CD has observed that bees limit their visits to a single kind of flower on each journey from the hive, as Aristotle has said they do. What advantage would such a limitation be to the insects?
Recounts his observations on the different ways bees perforate flowers of white and blue varieties of monkshood. [See Cross and self-fertilisation, p 428.]
Thanks for Forms of flowers.
Suggests plant hairs protect them from insects either mechanically or by stinging.
Sends CD a paper dealing in part with animal pigmentation [Med.-Chir. Trans. 2d ser. 411 [check vol no!?] (1870): 263–90]. Discusses relationship between white colouring and susceptibility to poisonous plants.
Relates instances of rabbits suffering from a condition which affects only the patches of white on their fur.
Will make observations on the platysma for CD.
Would be pleased to be visited by CD.
J. Wyman will make observations on black pigs and white pigs in Florida.
Thanks for Descent.
He believes he has observed a predominance of the right side over the left in monkeys and man. If so, this is another support of their relatedness.
Thanks for reference to Hermann Müller’s book on fertilisation [Befruchtung der Blumen (1873)].