My dear Fox

It was very good of you to write to me fully about your health. I grieve to hear that you suffer from so much pain; but I remember that in old times you bore pain well, & that is very hard to do.¹

Although you make such fun of your D^rs, your case seems to be very mysterious, & I wish I c^d think that the one who says nothing is the matter with you was at all near the truth.—²

In y^r travels southward is there any chance of your being able to pay us a visit, for this w^d give us very great pleasure? We go on the 7^th to Eras^s. for 8 or 9 days & after that shall be at home for ever so long.³

I fear that it must have cost you a great deal of fatigue writing me so long a letter. I have read it twice over & have been much interested by y^r various facts on inheritance & especially on the courtship of birds.⁴ I shall use some of y^r facts, & have been very glad to consider all of them; for I am in a great muddle on many points. I wish I c^d believe that when one of a pair is shot & is soon replaced, that it was always the male, but from some trustworthy accounts this likewise occurs with the female. I wonder how y^r keeper recognized the male magpies & crows. I have not yet got together all my notes (which are but scanty) on the numerical relations of the sexes; so that if y^r strength permits I shall be extremely glad to receive the account of the births of y^r sheep &c. With race horses alone I have a moderately large table, viz above 20,000 & the sexes turn out almost exactly equal.⁵

It is a shame to trouble you but I do not quite understand y^r goose case. Is the Swan-goose the same as the China goose? You say “out of 32 goslings there are only 4 which are common geese, tho’ 2 geese sat & brought out about 20”.⁶ But how many geese altogether sat? which kinds were they? As all the goslings, except 4, showed signs of a cross, how many of the geese played false with the Swan-gander? But do not answer this, if you are bothered with things to do.—

Many thanks for all your kind help. I do most deeply hope, my dear old friend, that your health may improve & that you may suffer less pain.

Yours affectionately | Ch. Darwin

Do you know anyone, to whom I c^d. write, who keeps Merino sheep, of which the ewes are Hornless, for I want to know whether the Horns are developed earlier or later in life, in rams, than with sheep, in which both sexes are Horned.