My dear Fox

I thank you heartily for the way you take all my requests.

I think I will insert request in Gardeners Chron. about Lizard Eggs;¹ it seems cool, however, making such a request to the world at large.— Very many thanks to your Lady friend from Jersey.—

I write now to say that I have been looking at some of our mongrel chickens & I should say one week old would do very well. The chief point which I am & have been for years very curious about is to ascertain, whether the young of our domestic breeds differ as much from each other as do their parents, & I have no faith in anything short of actual measurement & the Rule of Three.—² I hope & believe I am not giving so much trouble without a motive of sufficient worth.—

I have got my Fan-tails & Pouters (choice Birds, I hope, as I paid 20^s for each pair from Baily) in a grand cage & Pigeon House, & they are a decided amusement to me, & a delight to Etty.³ Both kinds have laid eggs.—

My wife is away from home at Rugby, nursing Willy, who has had your dreadful enemy the Scarlet Fever, rather badly, but yesterday & today’s letters make me perfectly easy;⁴ but I think I shall go in a few days, & relieve guard.— We are in terrible perplexity about contagion, for here all the children have the Hooping cough, which Willy has not had.—⁵

I am glad to see from your note that you keep up your vivid interest about Birds, & all living things. With so many children & parishioners I feared that you could hardly have had time to care for anything else.

Farewell my dear old friend | Ever yours | C. Darwin

PS | I have sent a communication to the Gardeners’ Chronicle on the means of distribution of plants by sea-currents,⁶ but I expect that it is too long for insertion at least of the whole.—

I had quite forgotten when I wrote to you, that the very common British Lizard is ovo-viviparous! & the chance of getting ova of the L. agilis, I fear is small. Jersey is evidently the best chance.— I am going to try land-snail shells & their eggs also. in sea-water.—