Discusses coral reefs
and encloses a copy of his "Reisebericht" [Z. Wiss. Zool. 13 (1863): 538–70], as requested by CD.
Discusses coral reefs
and encloses a copy of his "Reisebericht" [Z. Wiss. Zool. 13 (1863): 538–70], as requested by CD.
Sends paper ["Strictures on Darwinism, pt 2", J. Anthropol. Inst. 3 (1874): 208–28].
Refers to articles in the Art Journal on changes in English countenance since the Tudor period.
Reports to CD on a spiritualist séance attended by himself (incognito) and G. H. Darwin.
On obtaining Clerk Maxwell’s memoir on Saturn for his wife, Sofya.
CD elected Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. [See 9305.]
On proportion of sexes in births of cattle; variations in families. Encloses a letter from J. G. Grove on proportions of sexes in animals.
The limitation of inbreeding.
Discusses THH’s account of the séance. CD convinced all are fraudulent.
Returns and sends comments on Clarke Hawkshaw’s essay ‘The persistence of forms of life in the depths of the sea’.
Has finished the index [for Descent, 2d ed.].
Statement of U. S. sales of Origin, Expression, and Descent.
Thanks CD for copy of Examiner.
Fear of communism is making CD’s theory popular among possessing classes.
Describes reception of Lyell’s Antiquity of man among German country people.
Responds to CD’s queries about breeders’ practices in destroying and saving males or females in litters of deerhounds.
Discusses the evolution of marriage systems; considers the scheme of development CD proposes: 1. Polygyny and monogamy; 2. Polyandry; 3. Promiscuity; 4. Polygyny and monogamy in recurrence. Explains what he understands by promiscuity. JFM believes that polygyny, monogamy, and polyandry must have occurred in "every district from the first, and grown up together into systems sanctioned by usage first and then law". Considers polygyny necessarily the privilege of the few and, as a system, believes it had less to do than any other with the history of marriage. He sees polyandry as an advance from promiscuity and the stage at which contractual obligations between men and their wives begin.
Sends £40 for copyright to Édmond Barbier’s revision of Moulinié’s Descent translation.
Journal of researches translation is in press.
Do breeders rear more male than female greyhound puppies?
Orders five works on the Sandwich Islands from the Royal Geographical Society Library for his investigation of infanticide and population trends there.
Finds statistical evidence that cousin marriages are at least three times as frequent in "our rank" as in the lower.
Believes that he has an important physical theory: all atoms revolve.
Books CD requested have been packed and sent.
He will present CD with the classified catalogue [of Royal Geographical Society].
He has not learned whereabouts of Thomas Staley.
Asks CD’s help in finding original woodcuts for "Voyage of a naturalist" [Journal of researches] for Reinwald.