Summary

Asks for return of page about pigeon crossing.

Summary

Arrangements for woodcuts for Variation.

WBT’s excellent article on crossing.

Summary

Reports the results of some poultry crossing experiments; comments on transmission of different features.

"My unlucky Book [Origin] will be published 1st week in November."

Summary

Gives the results of crossing experiments; some interesting and curious facts.

Summary

Thanks for information on pigeon hatching

and on drones.

Believes occasional crosses indispensable.

Summary

Will forward the Scandaroons.

Is crossing all his pigeons to see which are fertile.

Hopes WBT’s work on fowls’ skulls is not forestalled by T. C. Eyton who also has a grand collection of skeletons.

Summary

Will return page on pigeons.

Has concluded his crossing experiments and found no trace of hybrid sterility or loss of fertility.

The Field is publishing a series of papers on different pigeon varieties [24 (1864): 366, 395, 459; 25 (1865): 115, 139, 155, 228, 258].

Summary

CD working on Variation; he will soon want corrected fowl MS [Variation, ch. 7].

WBT’s breeding experiments produced no sterility.

Summary

CD interested in hybrid sterility and encloses his preliminary MS. Outlines experiments to test for existence of sterility in breeds of poultry and pigeons.

Experiments on dimorphism have led him to change in part his opinion as given in Origin, and he is now asking pigeon and poultry fanciers for any examples of special selective sterility [i.e., a particular pair are sterile when crossed, but each individual is fertile with others] and hopes to investigate its inheritance.

Summary

Asks whether crossing breeds of hive-bees is advantageous

and whether different pigeon breeds have different incubation periods.

Explains and apologises for the lack of detailed quotations in Origin.

Summary

Discusses experiments that WBT will undertake to investigate whether particular pigeon and poultry crosses produce sterile hybrids.

Summary

Alterations to the woodcuts of poultry for Variation.

Summary

Discusses poultry crosses, "what a hopelessly difficult subject is that of inheritance!" Gives details of some pigeon crosses he made; cannot positively recall which produced the blue bird.

Summary

"I thank you much for your note. The object, of course, is what you say. I did not guess that I shd have to pay so much per hen to Baker & the experiment would not be at all worth such a sum. I have not a single hen worth sending to Steven’s. If it really will not cost you much trouble, & you could get me some Hens & a young Spanish cock of pure breed . . . I will try to experiment and shall be very heartily obliged to you". CD mentions satisfactory local hens of a particular breed and an experiment being conducted on "Silver Barbs [with] black wing bars & white rump or bar at end of tail".

Summary

WBT will try experiment for CD if Mr Zurhorst cannot do it.

Summary

Sends payment for poultry received.

Summary

Has found the skull of the horned cock.

With regard to CD’s suggestion about the possibility of producing a pigeon breed with differently coloured sexes, WBT reports the results of crossing blue and silver dragons; the silver offspring are almost always hens.

Would like the latest edition of the Origin.

Encloses notes on volume one [of Descent].

Encloses a photograph showing the bleaching effect of the sun’s rays on dun feathers in pigeons.

Summary

All the blocks [for Variation] are now engraved except the rock-dove.

Summary

Is tempted to cite Mr Zurhorst’s case.

Hopes to send pigeon and fowl MS [of Variation] to press in a fortnight.

Summary

Wants WBT’s advice on poultry breeding experiments. Are certain birds true to their kind, and what should he pay for them?