To J. B. Innes 22 September [1881]1
Down
Sept 22nd.
My dear Innes
The wasp’s nest has arrived safe, except part of the outer walls, & was wonderfully well packed.2 The cells are not half such disagreeable objects, as I expected to see them; as the outer walls, when not in contact with any other cell, are distinctly rounded or curved; & the extreme bases or bottoms of the cells are also rounded. If a queen wasp were to make a single cell in the shape of a hexagon, the fact wd. have been an odious one in my eyes.3 I believe that she builds up several cells at the same time & makes straight walls between the adjoining cells;; & these intersecting plates between 6 surrounding cylinders produces the hexagon.— But the subject has gone out of my head, & I cannot spare time to force it into my old worn-out brains.
Very many thanks for your most kind letter | Ever yours sincerely | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.
Summary
Wasps’ nest has arrived.
Gives his view of how queen wasp builds a hexagonal cell by straightening walls between several cells, which she builds at the same time.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13349
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- John Brodie Innes
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Cleveland Health Sciences Library (Robert M. Stecher collection)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13349,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13349.xml