From Thomas Seare   18 September 1876

Sir

I am induced to trouble you with this note under the belief that you must be glad to receive a communication even from a stranger of any curious incident in Natural History, especially when bearing upon such subjects as are treated of in your works— I have just been informed by a superannuated gamekeeper on the estate of a very great noble, that in one of his rambles he started a hare just as she was in the act of dropping a leveret. Upon coming up to her nest, he found there another leveret, which had also been very recently born (perhaps about 5 minutes before his arrival)— Leverets, he told me, are born with their eyes open.¹ And he assured me that he saw the elder of the abovementioned pair begin at once to lick the younger as if it had been its offspring, & go through the task so completely that, before concluding, the younger one was as clean as the elder.

He was evidently not aware of its being customary for leverets to perform such a work for their younger brothers & sisters. But unless such a custom exists, & is transmitted in the character of hereditary leveret work (if I may so express myself) the case seems inevitably to be one of transmission to young of a practice preexisting in parents only— My informant did not state whether he had observed the sex of the precocious matron—but, if that be important, I can enquire about it—

May I ask (as an additional venture) whether your attention has been directed to D^r Richardson’s recent communications to “Nature” upon Vivisection—especially to a passage in the 2^nd. column of p 340 of vol 14 now in course of publication. It there appears that rabbits, through breathing air charged with the vapour of nitrite of amyl were cured of a species of lepra—the increased capillary circulation causing the scales to fall off & healthy skin to appear, upon which fur began to grow—² I feel my presumption, but I cannot help submitting to your consideration the question whether some great change in the terrestrial atmosphere in past ages,—or the closing up in reptiles of the 2 auricles of the heart—may not have been the cause of a change of covering, from scales to fur or feathers in their descendants— If the idea I have presented is nonsensical,:—or already familiar in some shape or other—I trust you will excuse it—& pray excuse also my adding how grateful I feel for the enormous pleasure which (although an unscientific person) I have derived from the perusal of your wonderful books—

I am Sir, with | profound respect, | Your obed^t. Serv^t | Tho^s. Seare—

Cha^s. Darwin Esq^re.