To Nature 7 November [1881]
Summary
Summarises letter of William Nation [13350]. The facts given strongly support the conclusion that there is some close connection between the parasitic habits of birds that lay their eggs in others’ nests and the fact of their laying eggs at "considerable intervals of time".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Nature |
| Date: | 7 Nov [1881] |
| Classmark: | Nature, 17 November 1881, p. 51 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-13471 |
Origin: the lost changes for the second German edition
Summary
Darwin sent a list of changes made uniquely to the second German edition of Origin to its translator, Heinrich Georg Bronn. That lost list is recreated here.
Matches: 9 hits
- … German edition (see letter from H. G. Bronn, [before 11 March 1862] ). Since the publication of …
- … & a few of importance’ (see letter to H. G. Bronn, 11 March [1862] ). Darwin had sent Bronn …
- … letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 11 July 1862 ). (No American edition …
- … we shall immediately see)’. Page xiv, n., line 11, delete ‘in the years 1794–5’. …
- … substitute for ‘but then . . . kinds of flowers.’: 11 In just some of …
- … likewise to include natural selection; for it depends on the nature of the conditions whether this …
- … been during the Glacial period great changes in the precise nature of the climate, in the degree of …
- … sentence also appears in Origin 4th ed., p. 20. 11. p. 56. This whole paragraph was …
- … in Origin 4th ed., p. 449. 47. p. 409–11. This passage also appears, with slight …
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: 14 hits
- … backwards much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). I feel …
- … ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 14 April 1874 ). The technical nature of Huxley’s argument prompted …
- … review me in a hostile spirit’ ( letter to John Murray, 11 August 1874 ). Darwin was …
- … Correspondence vol. 20, letter to St G. J. Mivart, 11 January [1872] ). To Darwin’s relief, …
- … a source of inspiration. In April, he wrote a letter to Nature, observing that the flowers of …
- … primroses were abundant in each district ( letter to Nature , 18 April [1874] ). He …
- … M. Story-Maskelyne, 4 May 1874 ). In a second letter to Nature , Darwin summarised the …
- … blindfolded from the moment of being hatched ( letter to Nature , 7 and 11 May [1874] ; …
- … & that must be enough for me’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). Plants that eat . …
- … cartilage, bone & meat &c. &c.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). His research …
- … with the contraction of Dionaea leaves in Nature (Burdon Sanderson 1874). Hooker also …
- … Correspondence vol. 21, letter from Francis Darwin, [11 October 1873] ). Darwin wasted …
- … the photograph he sent highly ( letter from D. F. Nevill, [11 September 1874] ). At the …
- … ). He featured in the scientific worthies series in Nature ( letter to J. N. Lockyer, 13 May …
Darwin in letters, 1863: Quarrels at home, honours abroad
Summary
At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of animals and plants under domestication, anticipating with excitement the construction of a hothouse to accommodate his increasingly varied botanical experiments…
Matches: 19 hits
- … of man and Huxley’s Evidence as to man’s place in nature both had a direct bearing on Darwin’s …
- … of man and Huxley’s Evidence as to man’s place in nature directly confronted experts and non …
- … regarding species change ( letter from Charles Lyell, 11 March 1863 ). The botanist Asa Gray, …
- … by descent put him ‘into despair’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). In the same letter, he …
- … bottom of seas, lakes, and rivers ( Correspondence vol. 11, Appendix VII). Quarrels at …
- … in 1863. From Shropshire, where Darwin first began observing nature, he was invited to become an …
- … Academy of Sciences, Berlin (see Correspondence vol. 11, Appendix III), and of the Société des …
- … unsuccessful ( see letter from E. A. Darwin to Emma Darwin, 11 November [1863] ). The council of …
- … for every plant, and stated that there must then be ‘in nature, a deeper seated and innate principle …
- … [9 May 1863] , and memorandum from G. H. Darwin, [before 11 May 1863]) . As he struggled …
- … to drive the quietest man mad’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). Hooker and Gray agreed …
- … VI). However, when Evidence as to man’s place in nature was published in February 1863, Huxley …
- … IV). Darwin continued to investigate the true nature of sterility, a question he had been …
- … tropical plants than before (see Correspondence vol. 11, Appendix VI). He was fascinated with …
- … in other flowers, provided evidence for his assertion that nature ‘abhors perpetual self …
- … pistils mature at different times ( see letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). The fertility of …
- … ‘Crossing & Sterility’ (see Correspondence vol. 11, Appendix II). When Darwin finished, by …
- … animal suffering caused by them (see Correspondence vol. 11, Appendix IX). Francis Darwin later …
- … ‘It was indeed one of the strongest feelings in his nature, and was exemplified in matters small and …
Darwin’s queries on expression
Summary
When Darwin resumed systematic research on emotions around 1866, he began to collect observations more widely and composed a list of queries on human expression. A number of handwritten copies were sent out in 1867 (see, for example, letter to Fritz Muller…
Matches: 10 hits
- … corporal punishment and not the susceptibilities of a moral nature.” Darwin did not typically …
- … online ahead of schedule as part of the “Darwin and Human Nature” project, funded by the Arts and …
- … Blair, R.H. 11 July 1871 Worcester College for the …
- … Chaumont, F.S.B.F. de 11 March 1871 Woolston, …
- … 9 Nov 1870 11 St Mary Abbot's Terrace, London, England …
- … 1 Feb 1871 11 St Mary Abbot's Terrace, London, England …
- … 7 Sept 1872 11 St Mary Abbot's Terrace, London, England …
- … 1 Feb. 1871 11 Saint Mary Abbot's Terrace, Kensington. W., London, …
- … Sulivan, B.J. 11 Jan 1867 Bournemouth, England …
- … Wallace, A. R. 11 March [1867] 9 St. Mark’s Crescent …
Darwin in letters, 1862: A multiplicity of experiments
Summary
1862 was a particularly productive year for Darwin. This was not only the case in his published output (two botanical papers and a book on the pollination mechanisms of orchids), but more particularly in the extent and breadth of the botanical experiments…
Matches: 8 hits
- … gave him the commission ( see letter to John Scott, 11 December [1862] ). Darwin was altogether …
- … on Linum ‘at once’ ( letter to John Scott, 11 December [1862] ), writing up his experiments in …
- … drew from Darwin a detailed explanation of his views on the nature of variation, and on how it might …
- … of Natural History’ ( letter to Armand de Quatrefages, 11 July [1862] ). She had had assistance …
- … for a second edition ( letter from H. G. Bronn, [before 11 March 1862] ), Darwin asked him to use …
- … see letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 11 July 1862 ). Yet Darwin was now …
- … interest. He told Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 11 September [1862] ): ‘This is a nice, but …
- … from one parent’ ( letter to Armand de Quatrefages, 11 July [1862] ). really good …
Race, Civilization, and Progress
Summary
Darwin's first reflections on human progress were prompted by his experiences in the slave-owning colony of Brazil, and by his encounters with the Yahgan peoples of Tierra del Fuego. Harsh conditions, privation, poor climate, bondage and servitude,…
Matches: 6 hits
- … man in his most "primitive wildness" ( letter to Henslow, 11 April 1833 ). They …
- … theory for progressive, racial, and racist theories of human nature would remain one of the most …
- … Letter 204 : Darwin to Henslow, J. S., 11 April 1833 "The Fuegians are in a more …
- … 98). Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C., 11 October [1859] "the …
- … functions of interference but may guide the forces & laws of Nature." Letter …
- … Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C., 11 October [1859] I suppose that you do not …
Darwin in letters, 1872: Job done?
Summary
'My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, 'is so nearly closed. . . What little more I can do, shall be chiefly new work’, and the tenor of his correspondence throughout the year is one of wistful reminiscence, coupled with a keen eye…
Matches: 5 hits
- … St George Jackson Mivart ( letter to St G. J. Mivart, 11 January [1872] ). A worsening …
- … Mivart not to acknowledge it ( letter to St G. J. Mivart, 11 January [1872] ). 'I hate …
- … attacks on Darwin became notorious, had written on 11 May expressing concern that his recently, …
- … well informed: `The die is cast’, he wrote excitedly on 11 May , when the matter was first raised …
- … Mr. Darwin , and Darwin wrote a cutting letter to Nature in Wallace’s defence ( letter to …
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: 11 hits
- … to think of the future’, Darwin confessed to William on 11 September just hours after Amy’s …
- … anatomist St George Jackson Mivart in his Lessons from nature that Darwin had ‘at first …
- … Wallace for his critical review of Mivart’s Lessons from nature . ... supporting friends …
- … translation in 1876. ‘What is more to be wondered at—Nature in all her contrivances,—or man’s mind, …
- … ants that inhabited the trunk that he sent the letter to Nature for publication. ‘It seemed to …
- … Darwin communicated this information in an article in Nature ( letter from Johann von Fischer, …
- … naturalist Thomas Edward ( letter from F. M. Balfour, 11 December 1876 ; letter to Samuel Smiles …
- … for an article on the snail’s heart and a letter to Nature on the use of the chemical …
- … who died at the age of 10 in 1851, but William, who was 11 years old at the time of her death, would …
- … you are one of the best of all’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 11 September [1876] ). …
- … do I cannot conceive’, Darwin wrote anxiously to Hooker on 11 September. By the time Darwin …
Charles Harrison Blackley
Summary
You may not have heard of Charles Harrison Blackley (1820–1900), but if you are one of the 15 million people in the UK who suffer from hay fever, you are indebted to him. For it was he who identified pollen as the cause of the allergy. Darwin was…
Darwin in letters, 1877: Flowers and honours
Summary
Ever since the publication of Expression, Darwin’s research had centred firmly on botany. The year 1877 was no exception. The spring and early summer were spent completing Forms of flowers, his fifth book on a botanical topic. He then turned to the…
Matches: 7 hits
- … the popularity of his book, writing to Robert Cooke on 11 April , ‘though I believe it is of …
- … for extended periods. In a letter to Thiselton-Dyer of 11 October , Darwin described how the …
- … sent Cohn’s letter vindicating his son’s research to Nature on 15 August. ' …
- … Charles Darwin and Ernst Haeckel). Writing to Darwin on 11 March 1877 , Krause declared the …
- … visits from distinguished persons. Gladstone came to Down on 11 March. ‘I expected a stern, …
- … not been a difficulty to me,’ he replied to Romanes on 11 June , ‘as I have never believed in a …
- … that they become quite tipsy’ ( letter to W. M. Moorsom, 11 September [1877] ). Moorsom replied …
Interview with Randal Keynes
Summary
Randal Keynes is a great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin, and the author of Annie’s Box (Fourth Estate, 2001), which discusses Darwin’s home life, his relationship with his wife and children, and the ways in which these influenced his feelings about…
Matches: 13 hits
- … and the ways in which these influenced his feelings about nature and religion. …
- … we have the metaphysical notebooks, which are about human nature; we don't have notebooks on …
- … might have ideas that would be of value on species and human nature. He always felt there were many …
- … [For more on this correspondence, see our Design in Nature section.] I think the first …
- … so maybe if you could talk a bit more about that? Also, the nature of this painful void? …
- … of belief? I think you also suggested it was about the nature of belief itself and whether belief is …
- … perhaps what actually drew them together. 11. Darwin's support for the …
- … uncaring creator; his view that the manifold suffering in nature is purposeless? Randal …
- … experience. 14. Darwin's opinion of human nature Dr White: …
- … because of this, he makes this a general feature of human nature, sympathy. There are sources for …
- … Randal Keynes: I think he thought very well of human nature. I think he thought we were basically …
- … That, I think, is the foundation of his belief in human nature and co-operation, and I think that he …
- … and I think, yes, at heart, he had faith in human nature. Dr White: That's a good …
Dramatisation script
Summary
Re: Design – Adaptation of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin, Asa Gray and others… by Craig Baxter – as performed 25 March 2007
Matches: 23 hits
- … in that little sheet of note-paper! DARWIN: 11 My dear Hooker… What a remarkably …
- … opposed to this, said he did not believe it, for ‘Nature never lied’. I am just in this predicament …
- … from imperfect or conjectural data, confident that he reads Nature through and through, and without …
- … therefore they ought, if they behaved properly – and as ‘nature does not lie’ – to go together. …
- … had shown me several of your letters (not of a private nature) and these gave me the warmest feeling …
- … There is a moral or metaphysical part of nature as well as a physical. A man who denies this is deep …
- … grade must ensue, which… may be likened to the conflict in Nature among races in the struggle for …
- … a public statement. GRAY: 89 Organic Nature abounds with unmistakable and …
- … contented to view this wonderful universe and especially the nature of man, and to conclude that …
- … 100 It is very easy to assume that, because events in Nature are in one sense accidental, and …
- … 102 So long as gradatory, orderly, and adapted forms in Nature argue design – and at least while …
- … ordained. 183 The old argument of design in nature, as given by Paley, which formerly seemed …
- … operation of, an intelligent First Cause. The Ordainer of Nature. Darwin and Gray have for …
- … horrid scare 10 days ago, in the form of a Telegram from ‘Nature’ to the effect that Asa Gray was …
- … 1 OCTOBER 1846 7 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER 11 JANUARY 1844 8 C DARWIN TO A …
- … 10 C DARWIN TO A GRAY, 24 AUGUST 1855 11 C DARWIN TO JD HOOKER, 5 JUNE 1855 …
- … 22 NOVEMBER 1856 29 C DARWIN TO A GRAY, 11 APRIL 1861 30 A GRAY TO C …
- … A GRAY, 23 SEPTEMBER 1858 58 A GRAY TO JD HOOKER, 11 OCTOBER 1858 59 A GRAY TO …
- … HOOKER, 18 OCTOBER 1859 63 C DARWIN TO A GRAY, 11 NOVEMBER 1859 64 JD …
- … 13 NOVEMBER 1859 66 C DARWIN TO R OWEN, 11 NOVEMBER 1859 67 C DARWIN …
- … 17 FEBRUARY 1861 111 C DARWIN TO A GRAY, 11 DECEMBER 1861 112 C DARWIN …
- … DARWIN TO A GRAY 28 MAY 1864 159 FROM A GRAY 11 JULY 1864 160 C DARWIN …
- … TO A GRAY 28 JANUARY 1876 204 FROM A GRAY 11 DECEMBER 1874 205 TO A …
Darwin in letters, 1864: Failing health
Summary
On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864: ‘the venerable beard gives the look of your having suffered, and … of having grown older’. Because of poor health, Because of poor health, Darwin…
Matches: 8 hits
- … Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864 : ‘the venerable beard gives …
- … continue his observations indoors ( Correspondence vol. 11). In a letter of [27 January 1864] …
- … the relationship between species and varieties, and the nature of hybridity. Darwin noticed that the …
- … to confirm the statement in his 1862 book on orchids that nature ‘abhors self-fertilisation’ ( …
- … two letters to the Athenæum ( Correspondence vol. 11). Darwin’s anxiety about the matter was …
- … 1864 ). Theological statements of a more public nature captured the attention of Darwin and …
- … publication of Huxley’s Evidence as to man’s place in nature and Lyell’s Antiquity of man , …
- … and the question of human origins ( Correspondence vol. 11). Wallace, however, traced a possible …
3.16 Oscar Rejlander, photos
Summary
< Back to Introduction Darwin’s plans for the illustration of his book The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) led him to the Swedish-born painter and photographer, Oscar Gustaf Rejlander. Rejlander gave Darwin the notes that he had…
Matches: 4 hits
- … the nineteenth-century periodical press. On 11 November 1871, Rejlander sent Darwin ‘a …
- … Henry Jeens as a steel engraving, which was published in Nature in 1874, and was included in …
- … London trip (DCP-LETT-7605). Rejlander’s letter to Darwin, 11 November 1871, saying he had sent ‘a …
- … of our time’, pp. 356–7. Steel engraving by Jeens in Nature vol. 10, ‘Presented to the …
Henrietta Darwin's diary
Summary
Darwin's daughter Henrietta kept a diary for a few momentous weeks in 1871. This was the year in which Descent of Man, the most controversial of her father's books after Origin itself, appeared, a book which she had helped him write. The small…
Matches: 6 hits
- … done before. Her faith in God comes entirely from her inner nature— Now she can trace him in the …
- … kno goodness how can we recognise in which part of our nature God is revealed— If our judgement is …
- … remember that family life will stretch & exercise my whole nature. I will try to keep …
- … be a good wife I have indeed neglected my 10 talents. 11 July 5th. A beautiful day …
- … [ iron ] side which it is perfectly true is in my nature. & I am selfish—even now I am …
- … . 10 Bradshaw’s railway guide . 11 For the biblical parable of the talents …
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: 11 hits
- … Balfour translated Krause’s account and published it in Nature , and George Romanes wrote such …
- … of leaves that were so original that Darwin sent them to Nature for publication. Darwin, who was …
- … to me that anyone could watch the movements & doubt its nature. But these doubts have led me to …
- … He was scrupulous in sending any important observations to Nature or incorporating them into his …
- … there proves that I took a very erroneous view of the nature & capabilities of the Fuegians’ ( …
- … scientific material Darwin received, he subscribed to Nature , which he thought ‘an excellent …
- … problem: he had been asked to review Wiesner’s book for Nature . ‘It might be an opportunity of …
- … response to Wiesner’s book appeared in the issue of Nature published the day after Darwin’s …
- … Britannica , telling the author, Arabella Buckley, on 11 July that he regretted that there …
- … entirely new will. Apart from providing for his family, on 11 September he instructed his …
- … and plants, Darwin told the director, Archibald Geikie, on 11 November , ‘This leads me to make …
Darwin on race and gender
Summary
Darwin’s views on race and gender are intertwined, and mingled also with those of class. In Descent of man, he tried to explain the origin of human races, and many of the differences between the sexes, with a single theory: sexual selection. Sexual…
Matches: 4 hits
- … progressive, as well as racist and sexist theories of human nature would remain one of the most …
- … Key letters: Letter to J. S. Henslow, 11 April 1833 Letter to C. R. Lyell, 11 …
- … special issue on ‘Descent of Darwin: race, sex, and human nature’]. Shanafelt, Robert. 2003. …
- … Press. Gianquitto, M. 2007. ' Good observers of nature’: American women and the …
Darwin's bad days
Summary
Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and experimenting, even Darwin had some bad days. These times when nothing appeared to be going right are well illustrated by the following quotations from his letters:
Matches: 1 hits
- … Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and …
Vivisection: first sketch of the bill
Summary
Strictly Confidential Mem: This print is only a first sketch. It is being now recast with a new & more simple form – but the substance of the proposed measure may be equally well seen in this draft. R.B.L. | 2 586 Darwin and vivisection …
Matches: 8 hits
- … otherwise than according to Act. “ 11. —Renewal of license. “ 12. —Licensed …
- … any other time, to subject an animal to an experiment of a nature to cause pain for the purpose of …
- … under this act to subject any animal to any experiment of a nature to cause pain, unless such animal …
- … during the whole continuance of the experiment, unless the nature of the experiment be such that …
- … 8.—Every animal subjected to an experiment, the nature whereof shall be such as to seriously injure …
- … and any person who shall perform an experiment of such nature as aforesaid, and who shall not cause …
- … of offences under that Act. Renewal of licence. 11.—It shall be lawful for the Secretary …
- … and restrictions contained in sections numbered 8, 9, 10, 11, of the said act. (Signed) …
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: 8 hits
- … project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic …
- … I finish with this & get it published’ ( To Asa Gray, 11 March [1873] ). In April 1873, …
- … ). In September, Darwin wrote a long letter to Nature commenting on a seemingly unrelated …
- … exposed to slightly different conditions of life’ ( To Nature , 20 September [1873] ). Just as …
- … by other plants with which they grow mingled in a state of nature’ ( To J. H. Gilbert, 16 February …
- … your Cross & Self Fertilization & about to review it for “Nature”— he gloats over it' ( …
- … as he wanted to make corrections for a new edition. On 11 December, Darwin sent corrected sheets to …
- … repaged & the index a little altered’ ( To R. F. Cooke, 11 December [1877] ). These changes …
