To W. B. Tegetmeier   5 February 1874

My dear Sir

If you yourself (or through any of the gentlemen connected with the Field)¹ know any large breeder of greyhounds, you would confer a great favour on me, by asking the following question, & sending me the answer.

I could answer the question myself with respect to some breeds, but I am anxious for information from some one on whom I can wholly rely.

The question is:

Do great breeders of greyhounds rear more male than female puppies; that is, do they destroy more of the females than of the males? But what I particularly want to know is, supposing one bitch produced 4 males & 2 females, & another produced 4 females & 2 males, how many of each sex in each litter would, as a general sort of rule, be preserved?²

No doubt any large breeder w^d know what was the common practice of most other breeders.

If you can aid me, pray do so & believe me | yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin