To W. D. Fox   27 [June 1858]

My dear Fox

I am extremely glad to hear the view you take of D^r. Lane’s case.¹ What extraordinary facts you tell me. The soul of some great physician has transmi-grated into you. I am profoundly sorry for D^r. L. & all his family, to whom I am much attached.—²

We shall, indeed, be delighted to see you here if you can anyhow come.—

Your fact about Call-Ducks is first-rate for me, & I will quote it; as I particularly wanted such cases of influence of parent, independently of instinct.³

The Sow-case would have been valuable, had it been more recent, so that I c^d. have ascertained, that the same cheek was affected in young, & had known how many young pigs had same deficiency. I have generally been inclined to account for the several similar reported cases by coincidence & inaccuracy, or from disease of bone having been set up. As the sow was actually pregnant such case does utterly stagger me.—⁴

I had heard something of the Leicester sheep & am very glad to have more details: my doubt is, whether in all kinds of sheep black are not sometimes dropped.⁵

I thank you much for all the very kind trouble, which you have taken to get me information on all the above points; and about Horses. I have lately seen some splendid cases of barred legs; but I never can find out about colour of parents.— I hardly know what roan is.— I shall be very glad to hear about young Turkeys, if you succeed;⁶ but in 3 out of 4 of my experiments, something, which one had not calculated on, interferes with the result.—

I have lately been observing & experimentising with much care on the construction of Bees’ cells & have been testing the accuracy of Huber’s observation & on some points I do not think the blind man’s observations stand the test very well.—⁷ I think I have got theory, which greatly simplifies the marvellous power of construction of all the wondrous angles & perfect cell.—

You will be sorry to hear that we have had Etty most seriously ill with a modified form of that horrid new complaint, Diptheria; but all danger is over & she is slowly recovering.⁸ We have the Baby, also, very ill with fever, but the Doctor declares not dangerously; We have been much terrified as Scarlet Fever has been very bad. Our nurse, too, has sickened, so we have had much trouble, but I hope things are now clearing.—⁹

Yours affectionately | C. Darwin

Since this written our Baby has become suddenly most ill.— it is Scarlet Fever, & the Doctor can only say there is yet some hope.