Discusses his paper on mimicry and natural selection [Land and Water 9 (1871): 321]. Believes natural selection tends to fix mimetic characters rigidly.
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Discusses his paper on mimicry and natural selection [Land and Water 9 (1871): 321]. Believes natural selection tends to fix mimetic characters rigidly.
Louis Agassiz is going on a voyage to the Falklands, and BJS wonders whether it is worth while telling him of the Gallegos fossil bed so that he can investigate.
William [Hooker] is in first division of matriculation list of London University.
Other family news.
No news on Ayrton affair. Ayrton has taken staff appointments out of JDH’s hands.
Asks whether CD knows about Zizania aquatica – can hardly believe it is an annual.
Wants references to the work of Julius von Haast and James Hector on New Zealand glaciers, which CD mentions in the Origin [6th ed., p. 335].
Gives lengthy details from his medical experience on how structural and other changes in the parts of the eye are related to lacrimation.
Mentions belief in CD’s views.
Discusses the roles of natural and sexual selection in producing mimicry, and the problem of explaining the cause of the first mimetic variation; considers the ideas of A. R. Wallace and Fritz Müller on this problem.
Reminisces on the evening he, B. J. Sulivan, and J. C. Wickham from the Beagle spent with CD, nearly ten years ago.
Hopes the mission at Tierra del Fuego will not "improve" the people to extinction.
Calls CD’s attention to Andrew Jackson Davis’ work on the origin of man,
philosophy of evil,
the mode of producing rain at pleasure,
and who and what is God.
Expands on a letter to Nature concerning the probability of the survival of a new variety in a given species. Differs with [F. Jenkin’s] argument, to which CD had agreed to a greater extent than JB feels it deserved.
Asks to have one pair of rabbits sent to him; is abandoning experiments with the rats.
Notes the occurrence in U. S. of "vermiform piles" produced by earthworms.
Exchange of photographs among CD, AM, and Philip G. King.
Accedes to CD’s request to let Appleton have a set of stereotypes of the 6th English edition of Origin at a little above cost.
CD’s views, on which he has lectured, will succeed with time.
Joachim Barrande’s refutation cannot be impartial because he is a devout Catholic.
Many young French naturalists support CD but are silent for fear of their jobs. Houget has been reprimanded for his Darwinism.
Praise for Descent.
Sends a communication [missing] from Gov. J. H. Lefroy of Bermuda.
An engineer in India, who has read Descent, sends observations on native racial characters.
Describes earthworm experiments. She has measured depth of mould in various locales, e.g., on ridges and furrows of an old ploughed field.
Sends first copy of new [6th] edition of Origin. Expenses have been much higher than estimated because of extensive revisions. 3000 copies retailing at 6s would yield only £100 profit. Suggests fixing price at 7s 6d.
Sending sheets of his forthcoming work on Africa [Martyrdom of man (1872)] with views that differ from CD’s on music and sexual selection.
The Pall Mall Gazette will review the new [6th] edition of the Origin, together with Mivart’s Genesis of species [1871].