My dear Wallace

I must send a line to thank you, but this note will require no answer.— The very morning after writing I found that Elk was used for moose in Sweden, but I had been reading lately about Elk & moose in N. America.—²

As you put the case in your letter, which I think differs somewhat from your book, I am inclined to agree, & had thought that a feather c^d. hardly be increased in length until it had first grown to full length, & therefore it w^d be increased late in life & transmitted to corresponding age.— But the Crossoptilon pheasant & even common pheasant shows that the tail feathers can be developed very early.³

Thanks for other facts, which I will reflect on, when I go again over my M.S.

I read all that you said about the Dutch Government with much interest, but I do not feel I know enough to form any opinion against yours.⁴

I shall be intensely Curious to read the Quarterly: I hope you have not murdered too completely your own & my child.⁵ I have lately i.e. in new Edit, of Origin been moderating my zeal, & attributing much more to mere useless variability.— I did think I w^d send you the sheet, but I daresay you w^d not care to see it, in which I discuss Nägelis essay on Nat. selection, not affecting characters of no functional importance, & which yet are of high classificatory importance. Hooker is pretty well satisfied with what I have said on this head.⁶ It will be curious if we have hit on similar conclusions.— You are about the last man in England, who would deviate a hair’s breadth from his conviction to please any Editor in the world.—

Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

P.S. After all I have thought of one question, but if I receive no answer I shall understand that (as is probable) you have nothing to say:—I have seen it remarked that the men & women of certain tribes differ a little in shade or tint: but have you ever seen or heard of any difference in tint between the 2 sexes, which did not appear to follow from a difference in habits of life?—