From J. R. G. Barr to George Cupples [after 11 May 1868?]1
[Queries on Deerhounds (and dogs in general)
To J. G. R. Barr, Esqr. | Longsight House, | Longsight, | Manchester.
My Dear Sir,
Please append your reply to the following.
1. What is the average difference of size between the male and female Deerhound?]
from to 2 inches when full grown
[(This is far too small a disproportion to give—as my other authority shows. G. C.)]2
[2. Is this amount of difference found in the case of Bloodhounds and Mastiffs?]
I have found it so in Bloodhounds of which, I have bred some hundreds.
[3. In litters of puppies (of any kind of dog) what is the proportion of males and females in respect of the numbers born?]
out of upwards of 117 litters, I bred, I find the average in favor of females.
[4. In case of copulation between Deerhound Dog and Bitch (or with other dogs) does the Dog or Bitch ever show any preference for an individual of the opposite sex?]
This I certainly find in almost every instance.3
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.
Summary
Sends replies on dogs – sexual differences and preferences.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6527
- From
- John Robert Goodwin Barr
- To
- George Cupples
- Sent from
- unstated
- Source of text
- DAR 85: B27
- Physical description
- AL 1p †, † (by CD)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6527,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6527.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16