To W. C. Marshall 8 June [1874]1
I shd be greatly obliged if you would observe for me about what proportion of leaves of Pinguicula have insects adhering to them,—as whether a half—quarter fifth or tenth.—
It wd be of great assistance if the leaves with captured insects were folded up each separately in damp rags, & then all the little parcels sent me in tin box with a little damp moss by Post.— I shd thus know what sorts of insects are caught. Please to observe carefully whether the secretion from a caught insect ever runs down to the upturned edge of leaf, and is then deflected to either side along the channel formed by the upturned edge.
Secondly please observe carefully whether seeds of any plants ever adhere to the leaves, & in this case note whether they have excited much secretion.—2 I much want to know this, as I have ascertained that the leaves can absorb nutritious matter from seeds.— Any leaves with seeds ought to be folded up like those with insects & sent me, so that I may ascertain the kinds.— Observations on seeds wd be best made in 1, 2, or 3 months hence
Thirdly, in what kinds of [situation] does P. vulgaris grow., & what sort of plants grow near, the seeds of which would be the most likely to fall or be blown on the leaves.—
Jun 8th—
D. B. Kent
Footnotes
Summary
Asks what proportion of leaves of Pinguicula have insects adhering to them. Also, whether seeds of any plants ever adhere to the leaves, and in what situations does P. vulgaris grow.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9485F
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Cecil (Bill) Marshall
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 97: C61–2
- Physical description
- ALS ADraft inc
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9485F,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9485F.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 22