From George Maw 7 July 1862
Benthall Hall. | Broseley.
7th. July 62.
My dear Sir.
I am sincerely obliged for your kind letter of the 4th. inst & for the very liberal spirit in which you receive my criticisms1
It is exceedingly kind of you to think of sending me your new work on orchids2 it reached me safely yesterday but I have not yet had time to do more than just look into it
I was about ordering it of my bookseller—but to receive it as a gift from the author is certainly a much more agreeable way of becoming possessed of it—
An Uncle of mine Mr. Jno Frdk Johnson3 who resides at Araquipa was mentioning to me a few days ago the case of a female mule breeding by a horse.— he has also heard of the male mule gendering, but the case of the female he can vouch for as it came under his own observation— it occurred in the valley of Vitor about 12 leagues from Araquipa. I mention it because I think it is a fact bearing on the subject of hybridism which may interest you
My Uncle who will return to s’ America in a few months has promised to make careful enquiries respecting the alleged cases of the fertile male mules.4
Believe me Dear Sir | Sincerely & obliged | George Maw.
Charles Darwin Esqr
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Orchids: On the various contrivances by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1862.
Summary
Thanks CD for sending Orchids.
Reports observations by his uncle relating to the successful breeding of a male mule with a horse.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3644
- From
- George Maw
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Benthall Hall
- Source of text
- DAR 171.1: 96
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3644,” accessed on 19 October 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3644.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 10