My dear old Friend

I am very sorry to hear how much you have been ailing. I had not heard of this affection of the leg. I do most sincerely hope that the water-cure will complete the good work which it has begun: the loss of locomotion to a man so active & energetic as yourself would be grievous. No one can wish more truly for your recovery than I do.—

Thank you for telling me about our poor dear child’s grave.² The thought of that time is yet most painful to me. Poor dear happy little thing. I will show your letter tonight to Emma.— About a month ago I felt overdone with my work, & had almost made up my mind to go for a fortnight to Malvern; but I got to feel that old thoughts would revive so vividly that it would not have answered; but I have often wished to see the grave, & I thank you for telling me about it.³ I sh^d. not be surprised if I went for a fortnight to Moor Park Hydropathic establishment for a fortnight, some time;⁴ for I have great faith in treatment, & no faith whatever in ordinary Doctoring. It was very kind in D^r. Gully to speak so of me: if you go there again, pray remember me most kindly to him, & say that never (or almost never) the vomiting returns, but that I am a good way from being a strong man. Do not mention Moor Park; but sh^d. I ever go there, I sh^d. certainly inform him.—

My poor wife has been having a bad summer; for poor soul, we shall have another Baby this autumn! Our second Boy, George (an enthusiastic Herald! & Entomologist)⁵ has been for the last six weeks, at his first School; the Revd. C. Pritchard at Clapham,—a school which has been much patronised by scientific men, Herschel, Airy, Grove & Gassiott:⁶ I like it very well, & we can have him home monthly for a day.—

You know that our Aunt M^rs S Wedgwood lives here: a month ago she slipped on the road & fractured the head of thigh-bone & is utterly crippled,— —a grievous accident for her with all her peculiarities,—far worse than death.—⁷

I remember you protested against Lyells advice of writing a sketch of my species doctrines; well when I begun, I found it such unsatisfactory work that I have desisted & am now drawing up my work as perfect as my materials of 19 years collecting suffice, but do not intend to stop to perfect any line of investigation, beyond current work. Thus far & no farther I shall follow Lyell’s urgent advice.— Your remarks weighed with me considerably. I find to my sorrow it will run to quite a big Book.—

I have found my careful work at Pigeons really invaluable, as enlightening me on many points on variation under domestication. The copious old literature, by which I can trace the gradual changes in the Breeds of Pigeons has been extraordinarily useful to me.— I have just had Pigeons & Fowls alive from the Gambia! Rabbits & Ducks I am attending pretty carefully, but less so than Pigeons. I find most remarkable differences in skeletons of Rabbits— Have you ever kept any odd breeds of Rabbits & can you give me any details? Your Call Drake is quite hearty: I have not watched it much, but have not noticed its loquacity; the beak seems short & breast very protuberant. If at any time you could spare time, I sh^d. very much like to hear any particulars about habits of Call Ducks.— Do they show any migratory restleness in Autumn?—

One other question, you used to keep Hawks, do you at all know, after eating a Bird, how soon after they throw up the pellet? No subject gives me so much trouble & doubt & difficulty, as means of dispersal of the same species of terrestrial productions on to oceanic islands.— Land Mollusca drive me mad, & I cannot anyhow get their eggs to experimentise on their power of floating & resistance to injurious action of salt-water.—

I will not apologise for writing so much about my own doings, as I believe you will like to hear.— Do sometime, I beg you, let me hear how you get on in health; & if so inclined let me have some words on Call Ducks.

My dear Fox | Yours affectionately | Ch. Darwin