My dear Lyell

It has just occurred to me that I took no notice of your question on Extinction in St. Helena.² I am nearly sure that Hooker has information on extinction of plants:³ but I cannot remember where I have seen it. One may confidently assume that many insects were exterminated. By the way, I heard lately from Wollaston,⁴ who tells me that he has just received eminently Madeira & Canary Isl^d insect forms from the C. of Good Hope, to which trifling distance, if he is logical, he will have to extend his Atlantis! I have just received your letter; & am very much pleased that you approve. But I am utterly disgusted & ashamed about Dingo; I cannot think how I could have misunderstood the paper so grossly.⁵ I hope I have not blundered likewise in its coexistence with extinct species. What horrid blundering. I am grieved to hear that you think I must work in the notes in text; but you are so much better judge, that I will obey. I am sorry that you had trouble of returning Dog. M.S,—which I suppose I shall receive tomorrow.—

I mean to give good woodcuts of all chief races of Pigeons.—

Except the C. oenas (which is partly, indeed almost entirely, a wood pigeon) there is no other rock pigeon, with which our domestic pigeon could cross,—that is if several excessively close geographical races of C. livia which hardly any ornithologists look at as true species, be all grouped under C. livia.—

I am writing higglety-pigglety, as I reread your letter.— I thought that my letter had been much wilder than yours.—   I quite feel comfort of writing when one may “alter one’s speculations the day after”.—   It is beyond my knowledge to weigh rank of Birds & monotremes: in the respiratory & circulatory systems & muscular energy I believe birds are ahead of all mammals.—

I knew that you must have known about New Guinea; but in writing to you, I never make myself civil!!.—

After treating of some half-dozen or dozen domestic animals in same manner, as I treat Dogs,—I intended to have a chapter of conclusions.— But Heaven knows when I shall finish, I get on very slowly.— You would be surprised how long it took me to pick out what seemed useful about Dogs out of multitude of details.

I see force of your remark about more isolated races of man in old times, & therefore more in number. It seems to me difficult to weigh probabilities. Perhaps so, if you refer to very slight differences in the races; to make great differences, much time would be required; & then even at earliest period, I sh^d have expected one race to have spread, conquered & exterminated others.

With respect to Falconer’s series of Elephants, I think case could be answered better than I have in Origin p. 334.—⁶ All these new discoveries shows how imperfect the discovered series is, which Falconer thought years ago was nearly perfect.—

I will send today or tomorrow two articles by Asa Gray.—⁷ The longer one (now not finally corrected) will come out in the October Atlantic Monthly & they can be got at Trübners.—⁸

Hearty thanks for all your kindness. | Ever yours | C. Darwin

Do not hurry over Asa Gray.—   He strikes me as one of the best reasoners & writers, I ever read.—   He knows my Book, as well as I do myself.—