Ɛpsilon

From Francis Darwin    [21 October 1881]1

Friday

My dear Father

I am very sorry to hear about Wiesner   I read that experiment about transmission of heliotropism just before I went away, I’m afraid it is horribly conclusive;2 I didnt say anything about it to you as I thought possibly you might get stuck before you got there. Nature has sent me the book to review; I want to know what you think about it doing it, it might be an opportunity of saying anything we want to say about it; but I am rather inclined to refuse, anyhow I can’t do it for a long time, that is if I write a review signed with my name.3 I might write rather a short notice anonymously without so much care as a signed article would want.

I will see what the untranslateable bit about the seedlings at different distances is.

That sounds an extraordinary case of F. Müller4

I suppose you got the Pinguicula5

I have sent off a salmon which I killed yesterday & which is in better condition than the first one. I had fished all day and only got a 3 pound grilse & then killed this one just as I was obliged to rush off for the train.

Yr affec son | F. D

1
The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letters to Francis Darwin, 17 October 1881 and 22 [October 1881]. In 1881, the Friday before 22 October was 21 October.
2
See letter to Francis Darwin, 17 October 1881 and n. 5. CD was reading Julius Wiesner’s book (Wiesner 1881), which challenged CD’s explanation of heliotropism in Movement in plants.
3
In the event, Francis did not write a typical review of Wiesner 1881, but rather a detailed reply to specific criticisms made in the book (F. Darwin 1882).
5
Pinguicula is the genus of butterwort.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13474F,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13474F