To H. B. Dobell 7 October [1871]1
Down, | Beckenham, Kent.
Oct 7th
My dear Sir
I shd. expect that the period of gestation would differ very little in the individuals of the same species, as long as its conditions of life remain the same.2 But I doubt whether it wd. serve as an absolute criterion; for although little or nothing on this head can be known with respect to species in a state of nature, yet with races of the same species, as with dogs & cattle, the period is known slightly to differ. In the germination of seeds from the same capsule there is often the most wonderful & inexplicable difference in the periods.
With my thanks for your kindness, I remain | My dear Sir | Yours very faithfully | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Summary
"I should expect that the period of gestation will differ very little in the individuals of the same species, as long as its conditions of life remained the same. But I doubt whether it is sure as an absolute criteria; for although little or nothing on this field can be known with respect to species in a state of nature, yet with races of the same species as with dogs and cattle, the period is known slightly to differ. In the generation of seeds from the same capsule there is often the most wonderful and inexplicable difference in the periods".
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-7992
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Horace Benge Dobell
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 221.5: 9 (photocopy)
- Physical description
- ALS photocopy 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 7992,” accessed on 25 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-7992.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 19
