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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.
Sends queries [on proofs of Descent, 2d ed.]. Will be finished, except for the index, in two days.
Is now less satisfied than formerly with his statistics on cousin marriage.
[Enclosure is a copy by GHD of J. S. Mill’s statement about Origin (Logic 2: 18 n.).]
CD has observed hundreds of primrose flowers cut off their stalks, and conjectures that this was done by birds to obtain the nectar. Asks readers of Nature in England and abroad whether primroses are subject to such destruction in their localities.
Is sorry to hear the news about the cousin question – a real misfortune.
Congratulates GHD on being nearly finished with work on Descent.
F. M. Balfour is in Naples. Comments on rate at which sea eats back the land, as given in early editions of Origin.
Sends Descent material. Is staggered by CD’s power of marshalling facts and his conciseness and clearness of thought. The only fault he finds is some slight want of conciseness of diction.
He feels CD’s power more now "that I quail before the thought of arranging the few paltry facts I’ve got about those d––d cousins".
The memorial failed last autumn. She asks for CD’s signature again so that it may be presented now that there is a new Government.
Her [Wedgwood] Handbook is now in press.
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.
GHD’s corrections seem very good. Murray hopes there will be few corrections in Descent. CD assured him no changes have been made merely for improving style.
Wants very much to hear about "the terrible cousin affair".
Affirms his belief in an impassable spiritual gulf between man and the lower creatures.
Requests permission to call briefly to discuss Drosera.
Approves of proof [of subscription appeal for Dohrn’s Naples station]. Suggests names.
Will subscribe £25 towards F. A. Dohrn’s Zoological Station at Naples.
Has received circulars, and contributions from Lyell and George Busk [for Naples biological station].
Purpose of experiments was to determine digestive activity of liquids containing pepsin. Gives required amounts of hydrochloric, propionic, butyric and valerianic acids. Describes experiment and gives results. Also experimented on digestive activity of butyric acid at greater temperatures than the termperature of the body.
Sends cherry blossoms damaged by birds in response to CD’s letter in Nature ["Flowers of the primrose", Collected papers 2: 183–4].
Asks CD’s support for his application for the Chair of Geology at Oxford.
Bullfinches’ instinctive capacity for removing nectaries from cowslips.
Further particulars on pea-fowl.
Thanks for recent edition of CD’s Journal of researches.
Thanks for letter relating to domesticated bullfinches’ instinctively cutting off cowslips [see 9430]. Suggests observing whether the birds swallow any part of flower or particular parts.