From Francis Galton   26 May 1872

My dear Darwin

I feel perfectly ashamed to apply again to you in my recurring rabbit difficulty, which is this—I have (after some losses) got 3 does & 1 buck of the stock you so kindly took charge of, cross circulated & so have means of protracting the experiment to another generation, of breeding from them & seeing if their young shew any signs of mongrelism.¹ They do not thrive over well in London, also we could not keep them during Summer at our house, because the servants in charge when we leave, c^d. not be trusted with them. Is it possible that any of your men c^d. take charge of them & let them breed, seeing if the young shew any colour then killing the litter & breeding afresh, 2 or 3 times over? I would most gladly pay even a large sum,—many times the cost of their maintenance to any man who would really attend to them. Can you help me?

As regards Spiritualism, nothing new that I have seen, since I wrote, for Home & Miss Fox have been both absent.² I wrote a letter of overtures to Home, when I enclosed yours, but got no reply. I have kept up communication with Crookes & am satisfied that he has the investigation thoroughly in hand & delays publication on grounds of desiring a little more completion of data.³ He is a most industrious taker of notes. How very kind your letter was, about Home. It grieved me much that you had to speak in such terms about your health⁴

Ever sincerely y^s | Francis Galton