Confesses to intense hatred of the bee [orchid] for its anomalous perpetual self-fertilisation.
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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.
Confesses to intense hatred of the bee [orchid] for its anomalous perpetual self-fertilisation.
THF’s article in Nature ["The fertilisation of a few papilionaceous flowers", 6 (1872): 478–80, 498–501] is extremely good.
Suspects he now has answer to why common peas and sweetpeas hardly ever intercross, a point which half drove CD mad for years.
Recommends Hermann Müller’s Die Befruchtung der Blumen [1873].
Asks THF to examine old flowers of Coronilla for holes bored by bees.
Is investigating whether drops of water injure leaves.
Thinks THF has solved the mystery of Coronilla.
Suggests a reference to Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 1 Dec 1873, p. 497, when THF takes up Coronilla.
Delighted to hear about Coronilla. Urges publication ["Fertilisation of papilionaceous flowers– Coronilla", Nature 10 (1874): 169–70].
Has read THF’s article on Coronilla [see 9400] – "a very curious case"; is troubled by C. emerus.
Hooker is greatly overworked at Kew and is trying to get the Government to provide some help. CD hopes THF will take an interest in the matter and forwards a copy of JDH’s application for an assistant.