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Darwin Correspondence Project

From James Lamont   23 August 1871

Gartmore House, | Stirling.

23 August ’71

Dear Sir,

I have lately returned from an Arctic Cruise during which I had with me your late work on the Descent of Man.1

I need not say how much pleasure I derived from its perusal, as you will perhaps remember that 10 years ago I was one of your earliest disciples and believers.2

I was much struck with your remarks about Cystophora Cristata—the bladder nosed seal— I shot 600 of these in the month of June, and was very much struck with the extraordinary peculiarity in question—but I regret that I can throw no light on the vexata quæstio of what its use may be— I think it must be a mere sexual distinction, and it undoubtedly exists in a rudimentary state in the females.3

I have seen the old bulls when angry or excited blow it up as big as a foot-ball, and it quivers in the act of inflation like a child’s ball of thin india-rubber.

I had much discussion with other people, to whom the animal is familiar, as to the use of the appendage—but the only rational opinion I heard from any one was that it was of the same use as a turkey-cock’s wattles were to him!

I have brought home several of the heads of these seals in pickle, and if you should care to have one it would give me great pleasure to forward it to you in a keg.

I am | Yours very truly | J. Lamont.

CD annotations

1.1 I have … believers. 2.2] crossed blue crayon
3.4 I think … females. 3.5] double scored blue crayon
4.1 I have … foot-ball,] double scored pencil
5.2 but the … to him! 5.3] scored pencil

Footnotes

Lamont had been sailing in the waters off Edge Island, Barents Island, Cape Mitra Smeerenburg, and Prince Charles Foreland, getting as far north as latitude 80050ˈ (ODNB). He refers to Descent.
Lamont and CD had corresponded shortly after the publication of Origin and Lamont had defended natural selection in print (see Lamont 1861, pp. 271–5, Correspondence vol. 8, letter from James Lamont, [23 February 1860], and letter to James Lamont, 5 March [1860], and Correspondence vol. 9, letter to James Lamont, 25 February [1861] and n. 3).
CD described the inflatable nasal sac borne by the male bladdernose or hooded seal, Cystophora cristata, in Descent 2: 278. He put forward a number of suggested explanations for its development, in particular its use in mating display and a possible association with different vocal development in males and females. In Descent 2d ed., p. 528, CD cited Lamont’s statement in this letter that the hood is rudimentary in females in support of his view that the hood had a role in sexual selection rather than being a protective feature. Vexata quaestio: disputed question (Latin).

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Descent 2d ed.: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition. London: John Murray. 1874.

Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.

Lamont, James. 1861. Season with the sea-horses; or, sporting adventures in the northern sea. London.

ODNB: Oxford dictionary of national biography: from the earliest times to the year 2000. (Revised edition.) Edited by H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. 60 vols. and index. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2004.

Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.

Summary

JL’s views on the sexual peculiarities of the bladder-nosed seal, Cystophora cristata.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-7917
From
James Lamont, 1st baronet
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Stirling
Source of text
DAR 88: 110–11
Physical description
ALS 3pp †

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 7917,” accessed on 29 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-7917.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 19

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