My dear Fox

Very many thanks for the capital information on Cats;¹ I see I had blundered greatly, but I know I have somewhere your original notes; but my notes are so numerous during 19 years collection that it w^d. take me at least a year to go over & classify them.—² I do not intend to attend systematically to cats, there are such great doubts on origin & they have been crossed in so many countries with native Cats.—

I have bespoken the so-called Himmalaya Rabbit in Zoolog. Gardens.³

I am particularly obliged about Call Drake.⁴ Have you ever crossed them with common Ducks: it would be a very valuable experiment for me to know whether the half-bred are fertile inter se, or with some third breed; I am trying this extensively with Pigeons; but I am overwhelmed with subjects & work, & do so wish I was stronger.—

What you say about my Essay, I daresay is very true; & it gave me another fit of the wibber-gibbers; I hope that I shall succeed in making it modest. One great motive is to get information on the many points on which I want it. But I tremble about it, which I sh^d. not do, if I allowed some 3 or 4 more years to elapse before publishing anything.

My dear old friend | Yours affect^y | C. Darwin

I am off in 10 minutes to a great Pigeon Fancier at Black Heath.—⁵