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Darwin Correspondence Project

From W. C. Brooks   20 January [1882]1

Closebrooks | Antibes | Alpes-Maritimes

20th. January

Dear Sir,

Before leaving home, we read with the greatest interest your book on worms. I find here numbers of the Tower like worm casts which you describe as being found also at Nice.2

Under second cover by ⁠⟨⁠34 line⁠⟩⁠nd one ⁠⟨⁠34 line⁠⟩⁠ many here.— ⁠⟨⁠34 line⁠⟩⁠ you to ⁠⟨⁠13 line⁠⟩⁠ that the Revd. J. Michie, of the Manse, Bridge of Dinnât,

Aboyne,

Aberdeenshire

walking in his garden saw the gardener suddenly plunge his spade into the earth and throw up a mole. When he asked ho⁠⟨⁠34 line⁠⟩⁠ m⁠⟨⁠34 line⁠⟩⁠ I ⁠⟨⁠34 line⁠⟩⁠ saw a worm ⁠⟨⁠    ⁠⟩⁠ suddenly out of the ground3

With the highest regards | Believe me | Yours truly | W Cunliffe Brooks | of 5 Grosvenor Square | London

Footnotes

The year is established by the reference to Earthworms, which was published in October 1881 (Freeman 1977).
CD discussed the tower-like worm-castings found near Nice, France, in Earthworms, pp. 106–8, 117.
John Grant Michie. CD observed in Earthworms, p. 28, that worms emerged from their burrows when the soil was violently disturbed; he added that many believed worms fled their burrows when pursued by moles.

Bibliography

Earthworms: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1881.

Freeman, Richard Broke. 1977. The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist. 2d edition. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.

Summary

Has just read CD’s book on worms and is finding tower-like worm-casts, as CD described, in Alpes-Maritimes. Relates case of garden worms and moles.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-13629
From
William Cunliffe Brooks, 1st baronet
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
London, Grosvenor Square, 5
Source of text
DAR 160: 323
Physical description
ALS 3pp damaged

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13629,” accessed on 20 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13629.xml

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