To Michael Foster 26 June [1871]
Summary
Invites MF to visit.
Asks where he can obtain curare for plant experiment.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Michael Foster |
| Date: | 26 June [1871] |
| Classmark: | American Philosophical Society (Mss.B.D25.400) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7832 |
To Nature [before 27 April 1871]
Summary
Replies to Francis Galton’s paper on tranfusing blood between rabbits to test Pangenesis [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. 19 (1871): 393–40]. FG’s conclusion that his experiments prove Pangenesis to be false is "a little hasty", since CD had never maintained that gemmules in the blood formed any part of his hypothesis.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Nature |
| Date: | [before 27 Apr 1871] |
| Classmark: | Nature, 27 April 1871, pp. 502–3 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7720 |
From Mary Treat 20 December 1871
Summary
Describes fly-catching activity of Drosera longifolia.
Experiments on Papilio asterias; sex of adult determined by length of larval feeding time.
| Author: | Mary Lua Adelia (Mary) Davis; Mary Lua Adelia (Mary) Treat |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 20 Dec 1871 |
| Classmark: | DAR 58.1: 33 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8113 |
From H. Ramu 24 September 1871
Summary
Sends CD a sketch of goat with maxillary appendages and notes the dimensions of the structures.
| Author: | H Ramu |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 24 Sept 1871 |
| Classmark: | DAR 99: 37 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7967 |
From K. T. E. von Siebold 29 November 1871
Summary
Thanks CD for copies of the Origin and Cirripedia;
sends his latest publication in return [Beiträge zur Parthenogenesis der Arthropoden (1871)]. Discusses his work on parthenogenesis which, he believes, is a case of atavism.
| Author: | Carl Theodor Ernst von Siebold |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 29 Nov 1871 |
| Classmark: | DAR 177: 159 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8088 |
To George Grove 17 July [1871]
Summary
The cat exhibition might provide information on unusual breeds of cats and their inheritance.
Expresses interest in deafness of white, blue-eyed cats.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George Grove |
| Date: | 17 July [1871] |
| Classmark: | Cleveland Health Sciences Library (Robert M. Stecher collection) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7870 |
From William Preyer 27 April 1871
Summary
Thanks CD for Origin, 5th ed.
Comments on reviews of Descent by the Duke of Argyll and A. R. Wallace.
Lists the Darwinian professors at Jena.
WP’s work shows external ear to have no physiological functions.
W. Müller’s book not yet arrived. Will send Müller’s next works.
| Author: | William Thierry (William) Preyer |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 27 Apr 1871 |
| Classmark: | DAR 87: 52, DAR 174: 69 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7721 |
To George King 27 January [1871]
Summary
Obliged for specimens [of Paritium?].
Discusses difference between sport and parent tree.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | George King |
| Date: | 27 Jan [1871] |
| Classmark: | Joseph R. Sakmyster, ADS Autographs (dealer) (no date) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7461 |
From Asa Gray 3 August 1871
Summary
AG hopes to meet CD’s sons, who are visiting America.
| Author: | Asa Gray |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 3 Aug 1871 |
| Classmark: | DAR 165: 176 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7894 |
From C. A. Canfield 5 August 1871
Summary
Sends a series of factual corrections to Variation and Descent: barking of coyotes and colour of wild American horses.
| Author: | Colbert Austin Canfield |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 5 Aug 1871 |
| Classmark: | DAR 161: 39 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7897 |
From James Crichton-Browne 16 April 1871
Summary
Is sending notes on blushing. Offers information on physiology and pathology of blushing.
Has sent photograph of seven imbeciles in one family.
| Author: | James Crichton-Browne |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 16 Apr 1871 |
| Classmark: | DAR 161: 316, 195.1: 49 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7689 |
To J. V. Carus 8 October [1871]
Summary
Glad to hear of new German edition of Origin. He is revising the English edition, adding a new chapter of "Answers".
No new edition of Descent has appeared.
Would be glad to see a new translation of the Journal of researches, which he revised in 1845.
Comments on white colour of sea-birds.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Julius Victor Carus |
| Date: | 8 Oct [1871] |
| Classmark: | Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Slg. Darmstaedter LC 1859: Darwin, Charles, Bl. 74–77) |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7994 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … John Murray on the subject of translation rights for Journal of researches has been found. US editions of Journal of researches were published in 1871 by both Appleton and Harper & Brothers , but only Appleton’s was taken from the latest British edition of 1870 ( Freeman 1977 ). A Swedish translation was published in 1872 (Lindström trans. 1872; see letter to Gustav Lindström, 16 May [1871] ). A French translation of an extract from the Journal of researches appeared in 1860 (Montgolfier and Belloc trans. 1860). A full French translation was made in 1875 ( …
From Anton Dohrn 7 September 1871
Summary
Reports on the international support he has obtained for the zoological station [see 7038]. Asks CD whether he will serve on a board of naturalists who would receive an annual report on the station.
Huxley is now convinced by AD’s views on homologies of the nervous system of arthropods, annelids, and vertebrates. Kovalevsky takes the same line but does not go far enough.
| Author: | Felix Anton (Anton) Dohrn |
| Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Date: | 7 Sept 1871 |
| Classmark: | DAR 162: 207 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-7925 |
Matches: 1 hit
- … John Murray. Calendar : A calendar of the correspondence of Charles Darwin, 1821–1882. With supplement. 2d edition. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1994. Correspondence : The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–. Dohrn, Anton. 1875. …
| letter | (13) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (5) |
| Canfield, C. A. | (1) |
| Crichton-Browne, James | (1) |
| Davis, Mary | (1) |
| Dohrn, Anton | (1) |
| Carus, J. V. | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (8) |
| Foster, Michael | (1) |
| Grove, George | (1) |
| King, George | (1) |
| Nature | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (13) |
| Canfield, C. A. | (1) |
| Carus, J. V. | (1) |
| Crichton-Browne, James | (1) |
| Davis, Mary | (1) |
Darwin in letters, 1875: Pulling strings
Summary
‘I am getting sick of insectivorous plants’, Darwin confessed in January 1875. He had worked on the subject intermittently since 1859, and had been steadily engaged on a book manuscript for nine months; January also saw the conclusion of a bitter dispute…
Matches: 1 hits
- … I am merely slaving over the sickening work of preparing new Editions …
John Murray
Summary
Darwin's most famous book On the origin of species by means of natural selection (Origin) was published on 22 November 1859. The publisher was John Murray, who specialised in non-fiction, particularly politics, travel and science, and had published…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin's most famous book On the origin of species by means of natural selection (Origin) was …
Cross and self fertilisation
Summary
The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…
Matches: 1 hits
- … The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom , published on 10 November …
Animals, ethics, and the progress of science
Summary
Darwin’s view on the kinship between humans and animals had important ethical implications. In Descent, he argued that some animals exhibited moral behaviour and had evolved mental powers analogous to conscience. He gave examples of cooperation, even…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin’s view on the kinship between humans and animals had important ethical implications. In …
Darwin in letters, 1865: Delays and disappointments
Summary
The year was marked by three deaths of personal significance to Darwin: Hugh Falconer, a friend and supporter; Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle; and William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and father of Darwin’s friend…
Matches: 1 hits
- … In 1865, the chief work on Charles Darwin’s mind was the writing of The variation of animals and …
Darwin in letters, 1874: A turbulent year
Summary
The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working on second editions of Coral reefs and Descent of man; the rest of the year was mostly devoted to further research on insectivorous plants. A…
Matches: 1 hits
- … The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early …
Women as a scientific audience
Summary
Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those exchanged with his editors and publisher, reveal a lot about his intended audience. Regardless of whether or not women were deliberately targeted as a…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's …
St George Jackson Mivart
Summary
In the second half of 1874, Darwin’s peace was disturbed by an anonymous article in the Quarterly Review suggesting that his son George was opposed to the institution of marriage and in favour of ‘unrestrained licentiousness’. Darwin suspected, correctly,…
Matches: 1 hits
- … In 1874, the Catholic zoologist St George Jackson Mivart caused Darwin and his son George serious …
Movement in Plants
Summary
The power of movement in plants, published on 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work that Darwin wrote. It was the only work in which the assistance of one of his children, Francis Darwin, is mentioned on the title page. The research for this…
Matches: 1 hits
- … The power of movement in plants , published on 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical …
Darwin in letters, 1882: Nothing too great or too small
Summary
In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and for the first time in decades he was not working on another book. He remained active in botanical research, however. Building on his recent studies in plant…
Matches: 1 hits
- … In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and …
Insectivorous Plants
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Plants that consume insects Darwin began his work with insectivorous plants in the mid 1860s, though his findings would not be published until 1875. In his autobiography Darwin reflected on the delay that…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Sources | Discussion Questions | Experiment Plants that consume insects …
Darwin in letters, 1876: In the midst of life
Summary
1876 was the year in which the Darwins became grandparents for the first time. And tragically lost their daughter-in-law, Amy, who died just days after her son's birth. All the letters from 1876 are now published in volume 24 of The Correspondence…
Matches: 1 hits
- … I cannot bear to think of the future The year 1876 started out sedately enough with …
Darwin's in letters, 1873: Animal or vegetable?
Summary
Having laboured for nearly five years on human evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost exclusively to his beloved plants. He resumed work on the digestive powers of sundews and Venus fly traps, and…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Having laboured for nearly five years on human evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of …
Forms of flowers
Summary
Darwin’s book The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species, published in 1877, investigated the structural differences in the sexual organs of flowers of the same species. It drew on and expanded five articles Darwin had published on the…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin’s book The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species , published in 1877, …
Darwin in letters, 1860: Answering critics
Summary
On 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s Origin of species, printing off another 3000 copies to satisfy the demands of an audience that surprised both the publisher and the author. It wasn't long, however, before ‘the…
Matches: 1 hits
- … On 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s Origin of species , …
Darwin in letters, 1881: Old friends and new admirers
Summary
In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began writing about all the eminent men he had met. He embarked on this task, which formed an addition to his autobiography, because he had nothing else to do. He had…
Matches: 1 hits
- … In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began …
Darwin in letters, 1869: Forward on all fronts
Summary
At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of Origin. He may have resented the interruption to his work on sexual selection and human evolution, but he spent forty-six days on the task. Much of the…
Matches: 1 hits
- … At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of …
Darwin and the Church
Summary
The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It shows another side of the man who is more often remembered for his personal struggles with faith, or for his role in large-scale controversies over the…
Matches: 1 hits
- … The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It …
Darwin’s reading notebooks
Summary
In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to read in Notebook C (Notebooks, pp. 319–28). In 1839, these lists were copied and continued in separate notebooks. The first of these reading notebooks (DAR 119…
Matches: 1 hits
- … In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to …
Insectivorous plants
Summary
Darwin’s work on insectivorous plants began by accident. While on holiday in the summer of 1860, staying with his wife’s relatives in Hartfield, Sussex, he went for long walks on the heathland and became curious about the large number of insects caught by…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin’s work on insectivorous plants began by accident. While on holiday in the summer of 1860, …
