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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.
Writes on various observations and discoveries on dimorphic and trimorphic plants.
Gives details of some crossing experiments with Eschscholzia.
Describes the grass Streptochaeta, which FM believes to be a primitive grass.
Relates some observations on maize that are well explained by Pangenesis.
Describes experiments with sterility in Abutilon.
Describes hermaphroditism in a wild Begonia in Brazil.
Has been observing humble bees on Salvia.
FM much gratified by the appearance of Für Darwin translation.
Discusses dimorphism in Rubiaceae.
Describes experiments to test the fertility of Abutilon, which appears self-sterile,
and briefly mentions dichogamy in Eschscholzia.
Discusses dimorphic and trimorphic plants; mentions especially Rubiaceae and a dimorphic monocotyledon.
Notes observations on the monstrous male flowers of Begonia,
and on self-sterile plants.
Sends specimens of Passiflora and seeds for T. H. Farrer [letter enclosed with 7188].
His observations on mimicry in butterflies
and self-sterility in plants.
Discussion of mimicry and sexual selection among butterflies, occasioned by reading Descent.
Has no objection to CD’s alluding to FM’s idea that sexual selection has come into play in mimetic butterflies.
Reports observations on other butterflies and on termites.
Agrees with Bates that neuter termites are not modified imagos (sterile females), but modified larvae (of both sexes).
Systematic relations of stingless honey-bees (Melipona and Trigona) are not yet well established.
FM gives his own observations of leaf-cutting ants, which support those of Thomas Belt in his book [The naturalist in Nicaragua (1873)]. [See 9223.] These ants feed only upon the fungus that grows upon the leaves that they carry to their nests.
He has caught a moth of the Glaucopidæ that when touched emitted a cloud of snow-white wool.
Observations on the stingless bees of Brazil.
Has sent FM’s letter on to Nature ["Brazil kitchen middens, habits of ants, etc.", Nature 13 (1876): 304–5].
Would be grateful for Ceropegia seeds.
Has received seeds of Cecropia peltata from Kew.
Has asked Hermann Müller to send copy of FM’s paper as soon as published.
FM’s new position in Rio.
CD interested in nature of surface deposits at Rio.
Sends a copy of Cross and self-fertilisation.
Is printing a book on dimorphic plants [Forms of flowers] in which he will make considerable use of FM’s work.
Requests observations on sensitive Mimosa and movements of plants in rain.
Worm-castings.
Asks for Cassia seed for experiments.
CD and son [Francis] working on spontaneous movements of plants and heliotropism.
Has given [Raphael Meldola] permission to read extracts of FM’s last letter [not found], on odours emitted by moths, before Entomological Society [Trans. R. Entomol. Soc. Lond. (1878): ii–iii].
Thanks FM for letter of 22 Feb [not found] on Lepidoptera. Will send it to Entomological Society to be read. FM’s earlier letters produced best discussions of the season.
Thanks for seeds of Viola.
He and Francis [Darwin] are at work on biology of seedling plants and wish to observe how the flowers penetrate the earth.
The Pontederia did not germinate, probably pressed too much [in post].