A ball and two concerts at Shrewsbury; guests at the Darwins': Mr and Mrs Mathew, three Mr Clives, Emma Wedgwood.
Thanks JSH for Anacharis which is flourishing.
P. H. Gosse told him he had several sea animals and algae living in artificial sea-water for over 13 months.
Gives extract from a letter from Capt. R. Tickell: rabbits are not bred by the Burmese; common European and Chinese geese are bred but have probably only recently been introduced.
EB gives references to works illustrating the dog-like instinct of N. American wolves.
Discusses reason and instinct; ascribes both to man and animals. Comments on various instincts, e. g. homing, migratory, parental, constructive, and defensive. Reasoning in animals; cattle learning to overcome fear of passing trains.
Hybrid sterility as an indication of distinct species. Interbreeding as an indication of common parentage.
Enlarges upon details given by J. C. Prichard [in The natural history of man (1843)].
Adaptation of the two-humped camel to cold climates. Camel hybrids.
Doubts that domestic fowl or fancy pigeons have ever reverted to the wild.
Feral horses and cattle of S. America.
Believes the "creole pullets" to be a case of inaccurate description.
Variations in skulls between species of wild boar.
Pigs are so prolific that the species might be expected to cross.
Milk production of cows and goats.
Sheep and goats of lower Bengal.
Indian breeds of horses.
Variation in Asiatic elephants.
Spread of American tropical and subtropical plants in the East.
EB distinguishes between races and artificially-produced breeds.
[CD's notes are an abstract of this memorandum.]
Thanks AG for praise of Orchids and his notes on several American species of orchid. Comments on AG's observations.
Is experimenting [on dimorphism] with Rhexia and Melastoma.
Asks AG's opinion of a paper by Thomas Meehan ["On the uniformity of relative characters between allied species of European and American trees", Proc. Philadelphia Acad. Nat. Sci. (1862): 10-13] which is the best case of the apparently direct action of the conditions of life CD has seen.
Requests postage stamp for his ill son [Leonard].
Thanks AG for observations on Cypripedium and gives recent observations of his own.
Arethusa is very pretty; structure seems like that of Vanilla.
Finds the little (so-called imperfect) flowers of Viola and Oxalis curious: the pollen-grains emit their tubes whilst within the anthers, and they travel in straight lines right to the stigmas.
Sympathises with events in the U. S.
Reports on French translation of Origin by Mlle C. Royer, "one of the cleverest & oddest women in Europe".
Alphonse de Candolle says he wants direct proof of natural selection; "he will have to wait a long time for that".
Has found Lythrum, and sends some. Wants to know what CD thinks of frog discussion between Sandars and James. Asks CD to send objects for microscope demonstration. Means to go see the London Exhibition again. Has finished reading Orley Farm and returns it.
Hostile to Spencer's application of natural selection to society.
JDH on J. E. Gray's views on collecting.
JDH collecting Wedgwood ware.
JDH lays hard treatment of John Scott to J. H. Balfour's anti-Darwinism.
Reports that dogs caught in the act of sodomy have been attacked by their fellows, who mutilate the offender's genitals.
Gives a description of the nature and occurrence of the wild Bos of Formosa.
Is glad CD does not believe he is biased by an odium theologicum. Comments on the first volume of Descent. Is convinced of the truth of evolution, but believes natural selection plays only a secondary role and that man is fundamentally different from the rest of creation.
Parallel between CD's account of morality [in Descent], of social instinct preceding selfishness, and Henry Maine's account of notions of property of a community preceding individual property [in Ancient law (1861)].
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