To Alpheus Hyatt 14 December [1872]1
Down, | Beckenham, Kent.
Dec 14th
Dear Sir
Notwithstanding the kind consideration shown in your last sentence I must thank you for your interesting & clearly-expressed letter.—2 I have directed my publisher to send you a copy of the last Edit. of the Origin3 & you can, if you like, paste in the “From the author”, on next page—
In relation to your & Profr. Cope’s view on “acceleration” causing the development of new characters, it wd, I think, be well if you were to compare the Decapods which pass & do not pass through the Zoea stage, & the one group which does (according to Fritz Müller) pass through the still earlier Nauplius stage, & see if they present any marked differences.—4 You will I believe find that this is not the case.— I wish it were, for I have often been perplexed at the omission of embryonic stages (, as well as the acquirement of peculiar stages) appearing to produce no special result on the mature form.— I have been very unwell since writing to you before, & must leave home for a ⟨ ⟩.—5
Believe me ⟨ ⟩
Footnotes
Bibliography
Müller, Fritz. 1863. Die Verwandlung der Garneelen. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 29: 8–23.
Origin 6th ed.: The origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 6th edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Summary
Sends copy of last edition of Origin.
Respecting AH’s theory that acceleration of growth produces new characters, urges AH to examine decapods that do and do not pass through zoea stage. Believes there are no marked differences between them.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-8678
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Alpheus Hyatt
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Maryland Historical Society (Alpheus Hyatt Papers MS 1007)
- Physical description
- inc & damaged
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8678,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8678.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 20