[Enclosure]

My father was lefthanded tho’ none of his children were. My wife is lefthanded & two of our sons are lefthanded. I expected that this w^d. be the case, & therefore carefully observed my eldest son in the year 1840 when an infant.⁴ He is now lefthanded, but not extremely so, yet he plays billiards with his lefthand, but not cricket. Anything new & difficult he does with left-hand. Nevertheless when an infant he appeared to me to be certainly righthanded, as will appear from the following notes which I will copy as written down at the time. As I inferred he was righthanded I did not observe when the lefthanded tendency first shewed itself. The notes are as follows:—

“When exactly 11 weeks old he takes hold of his sucking-bottle with his right hand. This he does whether on the right or left arm of the nurse. He has no notion of clasping the bottle with his left hand, even when it is placed on his body.— (I suppose this means close to his left hand. He has as yet had no practice in using his arms.”

“Three or four days afterwards he used his left hand a little. When 11 weeks & 6 days old he took old of his aunt’s finger and drew it into his mouth.”

“When exactly 12 weeks old and on the following day he clasped his bottle with his left hand just like he did before with his right hand. Therefore his right hand is at least one week in advance of the left. I say at least for I am not quite sure that the first time of using the right hand was observed.”⁵

These are my notes, & I sh^d. add that I observed this baby incessantly and I think what I say may be trusted

C. Darwin