From F. B. Goodacre   8 December 1879

Wilby Rectory | Attlebro’ | Norfolk

Decr 8/79

Dear Sir,

The cross bred gees⁠⟨⁠e⁠⟩⁠ ⁠⟨⁠you⁠⟩⁠ had from me were broth⁠⟨⁠er and⁠⟩⁠ sister of the same h⁠⟨⁠a⁠⟩⁠tch; there is a statement to this effect in my paper, the pr⁠⟨⁠o⁠⟩⁠of of which I have received & returned; it is proposed to make c⁠⟨⁠er⁠⟩⁠tain omissions some of w⁠⟨⁠hich⁠⟩⁠ I much regret, but I had no other choice but to consent as otherwise the paper would not be published in the Proceedings1

I do not see “Nature” & shall greatly value a copy with ⁠⟨⁠you⁠⟩⁠r ⁠⟨⁠re⁠⟩⁠m⁠⟨⁠a⁠⟩⁠rks in2 about the ⁠⟨⁠34 line missing⁠⟩⁠ my paper ⁠⟨⁠12 line missing⁠⟩⁠ two ⁠⟨⁠le⁠⟩⁠tters by ⁠⟨⁠12 line missing⁠⟩⁠ Hens⁠⟨⁠l⁠⟩⁠ow in ⁠⟨⁠the Mag⁠⟩⁠: of Nat: Hist for 1830 ⁠⟨⁠12 line missing⁠⟩⁠ of species of Oxlip ⁠⟨⁠12 line missing⁠⟩⁠ red & blue Anagalis ⁠⟨⁠12 line missing⁠⟩⁠ ⁠⟨⁠ig⁠⟩⁠norant of his ⁠⟨⁠12 line missing⁠⟩⁠ subject as I r⁠⟨⁠emember⁠⟩⁠ his mentioning them in ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ ⁠⟨⁠w⁠⟩⁠hen I attended his B⁠⟨⁠ota⁠⟩⁠ny lectures at Cambridge but on reading his letters it ⁠⟨⁠s⁠⟩⁠truck me my idea about the two forms of goose was only extending the Prof’s doctrine to the animal world:—3

I am still of my old opinion that much valuable knowledge is wilfully refus⁠⟨⁠ed⁠⟩⁠ ⁠⟨⁠  ⁠⟩⁠nctory neglect of ⁠⟨⁠34 line missing⁠⟩⁠ under ⁠⟨⁠34 line missing⁠⟩⁠ as regar⁠⟨⁠ds⁠⟩⁠ ⁠⟨⁠34 line missing⁠⟩⁠ As to variation ⁠⟨⁠in ani⁠⟩⁠mals in a state ⁠⟨⁠of nature⁠⟩⁠ you already kn⁠⟨⁠ow⁠⟩⁠ ⁠⟨⁠13 line missing⁠⟩⁠ gathering together & I c⁠⟨⁠1/2 line missing⁠⟩⁠ that your lo⁠⟨⁠  ⁠⟩⁠ ⁠⟨⁠12 line missing⁠⟩⁠ work may so⁠⟨⁠12 line missing⁠⟩⁠ appearance; th⁠⟨⁠  ⁠⟩⁠ ⁠⟨⁠12 line missing⁠⟩⁠ some relation bet⁠⟨⁠ween animals⁠⟩⁠ in a wild state & u⁠⟨⁠nder domes⁠⟩⁠tication:—

With ki⁠⟨⁠n⁠⟩⁠d r⁠⟨⁠e⁠⟩⁠g⁠⟨⁠ards⁠⟩⁠ | Believe me | yrs truly | FB Goodacre

See letter to F. B. Goodacre, 5 December 1879. Goodacre’s paper on the results of cross-breeding hybrid geese was published in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (Goodacre 1879).
John Stevens Henslow published two letters in the 1830 Magazine of Natural History, one suggesting that primrose, oxlip, cowslip, and polyanthus were all one species, and one suggesting that Anagallis arvensis and A. caerulea were one species (J. S. Henslow 1830a and 1830b). For Henslow’s doctrine and his botany lectures at Cambridge, see Kohn et al. 2005. Goodacre had argued that the common and the Chinese goose were the same species (Goodacre 1879). CD had written on the cowslip (Primula veris), the primrose (P. vulgaris), the Bardfield oxlip (P. elatior), and the common oxlip, a hybrid of the primrose and the cowslip, in his 1869 paper, ‘Specific difference in Primula’. Anagallis arvensis is scarlet pimpernel; A. caerulea is a synonym of A. arvensis (a horticultural variety known as blue pimpernel). The Chinese goose is a domestic variety of the wild swan goose (Anser cygnoides); the common European domestic goose is a variety of the wild greylag goose (Anser anser). Goodacre was an undergraduate at Cambridge from 1847 (Alum. Cantab.).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12346,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12346