From Asa Gray 7 July 1857
Summary
Believes, with CD, that extinction may be an important factor in explaining plant distributions, but sees no reason why the several species of a genus must ever have had a common or continuous area. "Convince me of that, or show me any good grounds for it … and I think you would carry me a good way with you". It is just such people as AG that CD has to satisfy and convince.
Feels that the crossing of individuals is important in repressing variation and perhaps in perpetuating the species, but instances some plants in which it cannot, apparently, take place.
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 7 July 1857 |
Classmark: | DAR 205.9: 381; DAR 165: 98 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2120 |
Matches: 9 hits
- … See letter from H. C. Watson, 10 March 1857 , letter from H. C. …
- … Watson to Asa Gray, 13 March 1857 , and letter to Asa Gray, [ …
- … Gray, 9 May [1857] , and letter from Asa Gray, 1 June 1857 ). A. …
- … Gray 1857a . See letter to Asa Gray, 18 June [1857] . Gray refers to CD’s belief …
- … 18 June [1857] ). See letter to Asa …
- … beings occasionally cross-fertilised (see letters to Asa Gray , [after 15 March 1857] and …
- … Massachusetts, July 7 th . 1857. My Dear Mr. Darwin Your letter of June 18 th came last …
- … 15 March 1857] . A duplicate copy of the third part of A. Gray 1856–7 (see letter to Asa …
- … 1857] . J. D. Hooker and Thomson 1855. Jean Louis Auguste Loiseleur Deslongchamps had made such a claim for wheat in Loiseleur Deslongchamps 1842–3 (see Natural selection , p. 59). CD had made the same observation (see Natural selection , p. 48). The number of CD’s portfolio of notes on palaeontology and extinction. This letter …
To Asa Gray [after 15 March 1857]
Summary
Urges AG to generalise from his observations on the flora of the northern U. S.
Expected to find separation of sexes in trees because he believes all living beings require an occasional cross, and none is perpetually self-fertilising. The multitude of flowers of a tree would be an obstacle to cross-fertilisation unless the sexes tended to be separate.
The Leguminosae are CD’s greatest opposers; he cannot find that garden varieties ever cross. Could AG inquire of intelligent nurserymen on the subject?
Thanks AG for information on protean genera; much wants to know whether their great variability is due to their conditions of existence or is innate in them at all times and places.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | [after 15 Mar 1857] |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (8) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2060 |
Matches: 9 hits
- … Watson to Asa Gray, 13 March 1857 . See letter from Asa Gray , [ c. 24 May 1857]. …
- … Hooker, 15 March [1857] . Letter from Asa …
- … 1986 , pp. 58, 72–3). Letter from H. C. Watson, 10 March 1857 . Letter from H. C. …
- … Watson to Asa Gray , 13 March 1857). The letter from Watson to Gray was received …
- … Louis Agassiz related in the letter to Asa Gray, 1 January [1857] . See letters to George …
- … November [1856] . See letter to Syms Covington, 22 February 1857 . William Macarthur had …
- … around 15 March 1857, since he mentioned having just received it in his letter to J. D. …
- … Hewett Cottrell Watson (see letters from H. C. Watson, 10 March 1857 , and from H. C. …
- … 1857 . A. Gray 1856–7 was published in ‘Silliman’s Journal’, the American Journal of Science and Arts . John Frederick William Herschel . The exact passage has not been located in Herschel 1831 , but see p. 266. CD discussed this subject in Natural selection , pp. 61–2, and Origin , pp. 99–100. See also letters …
To John Lubbock 11 August [1857]
Summary
Asks JL not to call as he has a "very old friend" [J. S. Henslow] coming to visit him.
Yesterday visited poultry show at Crystal Palace.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury |
Date: | 11 Aug [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 263: 21 (EH 88206470) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2481 |
From Asa Gray [August 1857]
Summary
States he has "misgivings about the definiteness of species". Believes there is some inherent tendency for plants to originate varieties. Cross-fertilisation is likely in most cases but sees difficulties with plants like Adlumia.
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [Aug 1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 165: 100, 101 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2129 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … of this point in the letter to Asa Gray, 18 June [1857] , and the letter from Asa …
- … letter falls between the letters to Asa Gray , 20 July [1857] and 5 September [1857] . …
- … Gray is responding to CD’s letter to Asa Gray, 20 July [1857] , in which CD revealed his …
- … Gray, 7 July 1857 . See letter to Asa Gray, 20 July [1857] . The chapter numbers refer to …
To J. D. Hooker 9 December [1857]
Summary
Survey of species with well-marked varieties: JDH’s Labiatae case a "great blow", but result is very generally consistent.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 9 Dec [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 217 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2182 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … writing Origin . See letter to George Bentham, 1 December [1857] , and letter from J. D. …
- … to J. D. Hooker, 4 December [1857] , and the letter from J. D. Hooker, [6 December …
- … Hooker, [6 December 1857] . See letter to Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich …
- … von Mueller, 8 December [1857] . CD’s letter to Charles Moore , director of the botanic …
From George Bentham [16 or 17 December 1857]
Summary
Returns CD’s lists [sent with 2184]. Confusion in genera of Silene is great in continental botanic gardens. One would have to know whether C. F. v. Gärtner had the right names for species in his experiments.
Author: | George Bentham |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [16 or 17 Dec 1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 160: 151 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2186 |
To Asa Gray 18 June [1857]
Summary
Thanks for AG’s remarks on disjoined species. CD’s notions are based on belief that disjoined species have suffered much extinction, which is the common cause of small genera and disjoined ranges.
Discusses out-crossing in plants.
Has failed to meet with a detailed account of regular and normal impregnation in the bud. Podostemon, Subularia, and underwater Leguminosae are the strongest cases against him.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 18 June [1857] |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (9a) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2109 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … See letter to Asa Gray, 9 May [1857] , and letter from Asa Gray, 1 June 1857 . J. D. …
- … of the flora of the northern United States’ (see letter from Asa Gray, 1 June 1857 ). …
- … In letter from Asa Gray, 7 July 1857 , Gray informed CD that he had dispatched the memoir …
- … to him. In his letter of 1 June 1857 , Gray had also mentioned that he would send back to …
- … Steudel 1840–1. See letter to Asa Gray , I January [1857], in which CD first mentioned …
- … 1857 (see n. 16, below). Letters from Asa Gray , [ c . 24 May 1857] and 1 June 1857. Gray …
From Asa Gray 1 June 1857
Summary
Comments on species with disjoined ranges; does not feel, despite CD’s expectations, that they tend to belong to small families.
Gives the proportion of U. S. trees in which the sexes are separate [see Natural selection, p. 62].
Author: | Asa Gray |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | 1 June 1857 |
Classmark: | DAR 8: 47bA |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2098 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … See letter to Asa Gray, 9 May [1857] . …
- … See letters to Asa Gray , 1 January [1857] and [after 15 March 1857] . Gray refers to his …
- … in A. Gray 1856–7 , p. 400. See letter to Asa Gray, 9 May [1857] . See letter from Asa …
- … Gray , [ c . 24 May 1857]. See letter to Asa Gray, [ …
- … after 15 March 1857] , in which CD enclosed some notes and a letter from Hewett Cottrell …
To George Bentham 15 December [1857]
Summary
For his studies on fertility of crosses, asks GB to mark a list of pairs of Cucubalus as to whether they are varieties of the same species, or distinct species.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | George Bentham |
Date: | 15 Dec [1857] |
Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Bentham Correspondence, Vol. 3, Daintree–Dyer, 1830–1884, GEB/1/3: f. 681 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2184 |
To J. D. Dana 25 May [1857]
Summary
Thanks him for information concerning Crustacea.
Comments on natural history study in the U. S.
Mentions work done by Huxley on Crustacea ["Description of a new crustacean", J. Geol. Soc. Lond. 13 (1857): 363–9];
John Lubbock on larvae of Diptera.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | James Dwight Dana |
Date: | 25 May [1857] |
Classmark: | Yale University Library: Manuscripts and Archives (Silliman Family Papers (MS 450) Box 19, folder 25) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2094 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … Dana, 5 April [1857] , and letter from J. D. …
- … 27 April 1857 . In his last letter to CD, 27 April 1857 , Dana had mentioned that Louis …
- … by the relationship to the letter from J. D. Dana, 27 April 1857 . See letter to J. D. …
- … beds near Swanage (see letter from Charles Lyell, [16 January 1857] ). CD had mentioned …
- … the work in his previous letter to Dana ( letter to J. D. Dana, 5 April [1857] ). …
To George Bentham 18 December [1857]
Summary
Thanks GB for his answers [to 2184], which were as explicit as he expected. Cucubalus viscosus and italicus are extremely sterile together; all other forms extremely fertile. Other instances of infertility found by Gärtner.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | George Bentham |
Date: | 18 Dec [1857] |
Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Bentham Correspondence, Vol. 3, Daintree–Dyer, 1830–1884, GEB/1/3: f. 700a) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2189 |
To George Bentham 1 December [1857]
Summary
Thanks GB for his help on naturalised plants; comments on spreading of plants.
Wants to quote GB on the names of species and varieties of Silene on which C. F. von Gärtner experimented.
Thinks GB will be disappointed in his book [Natural selection]. "It will be grievously too hypothetical."
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | George Bentham |
Date: | 1 Dec [1857] |
Classmark: | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Bentham Correspondence, Vol. 3, Daintree–Dyer, 1830–1884, GEB/1/3: ff. 682–3) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2177 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … Bentham, 15 December [1857] , and letter from George Bentham, [16 or 17 December 1857] . …
- … Bentham 1857 . See letter to George …
- … 1849 , p. 722. See letter to George Bentham, 15 December [1857] . Bentham apparently …
- … by the reference to Bentham 1857 (see n. 3, below). The letter has not been located. …
To W. D. Fox 30 October [1857]
Summary
Has come to think his brains were not made for thinking – he immediately feels better when at Moor Park.
News of his family.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | William Darwin Fox |
Date: | 30 Oct [1857] |
Classmark: | Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 104) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2161 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … Henslow visited Down House in August 1857 (see letter to J. S. Henslow, 10 August [ …
- … from Moor Park on 31 October 1857 ( Emma Darwin’s diary). See letter to J. D. Hooker, 30 …
- … to Rugby School. See letter to W. E. Darwin, [November 1857] . For CD’s and Fox’s earlier …
- … 1857 (see Correspondence vol. 6, Appendixes II and III). Charles Pritchard was the headmaster of Clapham Grammar School, which George Howard Darwin had entered in August 1856 (see letter …
To Asa Gray 29 November [1857]
Summary
Thanks AG for his criticisms of CD’s views; finds it difficult to avoid using the term "natural selection" as an agent.
Discusses crossing in Fumaria and barnacles.
Has received a naturally crossed kidney bean in which the seed-coat has been affected by the pollen of the fertilising plant.
Finds the rule of large genera having most varieties holds good and regards it as most important for his "principle of divergence".
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 29 Nov [1857] |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (18) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2176 |
Matches: 10 hits
- … selection , p. 200. See letter from Asa Gray, [August 1857] . Lecoq 1845 , p. 61. See …
- … by the relationship to the letter to Asa Gray, 5 September [1857] . Gray’s letter has not …
- … as put forward in letter to Asa Gray, 5 September [1857] . CD included a definition of …
- … of Fumaria by bees. See also letter to Asa Gray, 20 July [1857] , in which CD gives other …
- … examples to illustrate his view. See letter to Gardeners’ Chronicle , 18 October [1857]. …
- … See letters from Henry Coe , 4 November 1857 and …
- … pp. 148–54. See letters from H. C. Watson, 14 December [1857] and 20 December [1857] . …
- … 1848 . See letter from Richard Bishop to Charles Spence Bate, 3 December 1857 . See …
- … 1857 . CD refers to the cases of seed-coats being affected by pollen from a different species reported in Gärtner 1849 (see letter …
- … 1857 at which both were present (Royal Society Philosophical Club minutes). Gray had already provided CD with a list of ‘close species’ (see Correspondence vol. 5, letter …
To Asa Gray 5 September [1857]
Summary
Encloses an abstract of his ideas on natural selection and the principle of divergence; the "means by which nature makes her species".
Discusses varieties and close species in large and small genera, finding some data from AG in conflict with his expectations.
Has been observing the action of bees in fertilising kidney beans and Lobelia.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 5 Sept [1857] |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (48) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2136 |
Matches: 9 hits
- … Falconer . Letter from Asa Gray, [August 1857] . In his chapter on the possibility of all …
- … by the relationship to the letter to Asa Gray, 20 July [1857] , and by the reference to …
- … in kidney beans (see n. 12, below). See letter to Asa Gray, 20 July [1857] . Hugh …
- … See letter from Asa Gray, [August 1857] . CD was …
- … the smaller genera. See letter to Asa Gray, 20 July [1857] . A note in DAR 49: 48 headed ‘ …
- … describes this experiment. See also letter to Gardeners’ Chronicle , 18 October [1857]. …
- … See letter from Asa Gray, 7 July 1857 . A. Gray 1857a . Gray had already sent CD the …
- … discussed introduced plants (see letters to Asa Gray , 9 May [1857] and 18 June [1857] ). …
- … the seeds from Kew (see letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 [November 1857] ). The enclosure up to …
To J. D. Hooker 25 December [1857]
Summary
Species with marked varieties.
Dana’s pamphlet also too metaphysical for CD.
Natural selection chapter on hybridism completed.
Doubts JDH will resist theory in his introduction to Flora Tasmaniae.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 25 Dec [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 218 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2194 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … 1980 , p. 87). Brown 1810 . Dana 1857 (see letter from J. D. Hooker, [17–23 December …
- … J. D. Hooker, [17–23 December 1857] and n. 5. See letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 December …
- … 1865. See also letter to T. H. Huxley, 16 December [1857] . J. D. Hooker 1860 . …
- … December 1857 (‘Journal’; see Correspondence vol. 6, Appendix II). See letter from J. D. …
To J. D. Hooker 14 July [1857]
Summary
Asks to borrow several Floras. Must redo calculations as John Lubbock has shown him an important error.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 14 July [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 204 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2124 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … Burlington House, Piccadilly ( Gage 1938 ). See letter to John Lubbock, 14 [July 1857] . …
- … to John Lubbock (see letter to John Lubbock, 14 [July 1857] ). See letter to J. …
- … D. Hooker, 1 July [1857] . The letter has not been located. …
- … 12 June 1847] ). See letter to J. D. Hooker, 5 July [1857] . Boreau 1840 . Fürnrohr …
- … For CD’s query, see letter to J. D. Hooker, 5 July [1857] . CD had mentioned this case of …
To J. D. Hooker 4 December [1857]
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 4 Dec [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 216 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2180 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … pp. 153–4. See letter from J. D. Hooker, [6 December 1857] , and letter to F. J. …
- … of John Stevens and Harriet Henslow . Letter from J. D. Hooker, [2 December 1857] . …
- … H. von Mueller, 8 December [1857]. See letter from J. D. Hooker, [2 December 1857] . …
- … selection , p. 413). See letter from J. D. Hooker, [6 December 1857] . The final results …
To J. D. Hooker 15 March [1857]
Summary
Separation of sexes in trees [U. S.].
Do plants offer positive evidence for "continuous land" theory?
Protean genera.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Date: | 15 Mar [1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 114: 193 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2066 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … of protean genera. See letter from H. C. Watson, 10 March 1857 and letter from H. C. …
- … genera (see n. 3, below). Letter from Asa Gray, 16 February 1857 . CD had sent Watson the …
- … Watson to Asa Gray, 13 March 1857 . See letter from J. D. Hooker, 7 December 1856 . …
- … in February (see letter to J. D. Hooker, [after 20 January 1857] ). CD summarised the …
From J. D. Hooker [6 December 1857]
Summary
Finds CD’s results [of his survey of well-marked varieties from A. P. and Alphonse de Candolle’s Prodromus systematis naturalis regni vegetabilis (1824–73)] "very curious and suggestive". Thinks the Labiatae will present an obstacle to him as it is a very large and distinct order with well-defined species and genera. Would like to see him tackle more volumes of Candolle’s Prodromus, as his case can only be established by evidence from mundane plants. CD should beware of generalising from local species variability. A comparison of C. C. Babington’s and G. Bentham’s [British] Floras [Babington Manual of British botany (1843, 4th ed., 1856); Bentham Handbook of British flora (1858)] would be invaluable. Suggests CD write to Ferdinand Müller and Charles Moore in Australia. Moisture favouring extension of species is important for CD’s view.
Author: | Joseph Dalton Hooker |
Addressee: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Date: | [6 Dec 1857] |
Classmark: | DAR 104: 195–6, DAR 47: 192 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2181 |
Matches: 7 hits
- … to George Bentham, 15 December [1857] and letter from George Bentham, [16 or 17 December …
- … the letter to J. D. Hooker, 4 December [1857] . See letter to J. D. Hooker, 4 December [ …
- … referred to in the letter to George Bentham, 1 December [1857] . It was a list of species …
- … species. See letter to Ferdinand Jakob Heinrich von Mueller, 8 December [1857] . For CD’s …
- … 1857, CD had asked Hooker to investigate this point (see CD note attached to letter to …
- … rule’ did not hold. See letter to J. D. Hooker, 9 December [1857] , for CD’s response to …
- … arrangement in Linum (see letter to J. D. Hooker, 20 October [1857] , CD note), Hooker …
Darwin, C. R. | (432) |
Hooker, J. D. | (40) |
Gray, Asa | (15) |
Watson, H. C. | (8) |
Lyell, Charles | (7) |
Darwin, C. R. | (190) |
Hooker, J. D. | (92) |
Tegetmeier, W. B. | (29) |
Huxley, T. H. | (25) |
Darwin, W. E. | (23) |
Darwin, C. R. | (622) |
Hooker, J. D. | (132) |
Gray, Asa | (38) |
Tegetmeier, W. B. | (33) |
Lyell, Charles | (30) |
1836 | (2) |
1837 | (1) |
1838 | (1) |
1842 | (1) |
1843 | (1) |
1844 | (1) |
1845 | (2) |
1848 | (1) |
1849 | (1) |
1851 | (1) |
1853 | (1) |
1854 | (3) |
1855 | (10) |
1856 | (45) |
1857 | (159) |
1858 | (92) |
1859 | (28) |
1860 | (44) |
1861 | (30) |
1862 | (34) |
1863 | (39) |
1864 | (20) |
1865 | (30) |
1866 | (20) |
1867 | (7) |
1868 | (22) |
1869 | (6) |
1870 | (2) |
1871 | (8) |
1872 | (2) |
1873 | (5) |
1874 | (4) |
1875 | (2) |
1877 | (2) |
1878 | (4) |
1879 | (2) |
1880 | (5) |
1881 | (2) |
1882 | (1) |
Six things Darwin never said – and one he did
Summary
Spot the fakes! Darwin is often quoted – and as often misquoted. Here are some sayings regularly attributed to Darwin that never flowed from his pen.
Matches: 1 hits
- … Spot the fakes! Darwin is often quoted – and as often misquoted. Here are some sayings regularly …
Darwin in letters, 1856-1857: the 'Big Book'
Summary
In May 1856, Darwin began writing up his 'species sketch’ in earnest. During this period, his working life was completely dominated by the preparation of his 'Big Book', which was to be called Natural selection. Using letters are the main…
Matches: 1 hits
- … On 14 May 1856, Charles Darwin recorded in his journal that he ‘Began by Lyell’s advice writing …
Language: key letters
Summary
How and why language evolved bears on larger questions about the evolution of the human species, and the relationship between man and animals. Darwin presented his views on the development of human speech from animal sounds in The Descent of Man (1871),…
Matches: 1 hits
- … The origin of language was investigated in a wide range of disciplines in the nineteenth century. …
Abstract of Darwin’s theory
Summary
There are two extant versions of the abstract of Darwin’s theory of natural selection. One was sent to Asa Gray on 5 September 1857, enclosed with a letter of the same date (see Correspondence vol. 6, letter to Asa Gray, 5 September [1857] and enclosure).…
Matches: 1 hits
- … There are two extant versions of the abstract of Darwin’s theory of natural selection. One was …
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: 1 hits
- … Re: Design – performance version – 25 March 2007 – 1 Re: Design – Adaptation of the …
The "wicked book": Origin at 157
Summary
Origin is 157 years old. (Probably) the most famous book in science was published on 24 November 1859. To celebrate we have uploaded hundreds of new images of letters, bringing the total number you can look at here to over 9000 representing more than…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Origin is 157 years old. (Probably) the most famous book in science was published on 24 …
Darwin’s study of the Cirripedia
Summary
Darwin’s work on barnacles, conducted between 1846 and 1854, has long posed problems for historians. Coming between his transmutation notebooks and the Origin of species, it has frequently been interpreted as a digression from Darwin’s species work. Yet…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin’s work on barnacles, conducted between 1846 and 1854, has long posed problems for …
What is an experiment?
Summary
Darwin is not usually regarded as an experimenter, but rather as an astute observer and a grand theorist. His early career seems to confirm this. He began with detailed note-taking, collecting and cataloguing on the Beagle, and edited a descriptive zoology…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Darwin is not usually regarded as an experimenter, but rather as an astute observer and a grand …
Natural Selection: the trouble with terminology Part I
Summary
Darwin encountered problems with the term ‘natural selection’ even before Origin appeared. Everyone from the Harvard botanist Asa Gray to his own publisher came up with objections. Broadly these divided into concerns either that its meaning simply wasn’t…
Matches: 1 hits
- … I suppose “natural selection” was bad term but to change it now, I think, would make confusion …
Women’s scientific participation
Summary
Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively and routinely, in the nineteenth-century scientific community. Here is a…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants …
Dates of composition of Darwin's manuscript on species
Summary
Many of the dates of letters in 1856 and 1857 were based on or confirmed by reference to Darwin’s manuscript on species (DAR 8--15.1, inclusive; transcribed and published as Natural selection). This manuscript, begun in May 1856, was nearly completed by…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Many of the dates of letters in 1856 and 1857 were based on or confirmed by reference to Darwin’s …
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 …
The evolution of honeycomb
Summary
Honeycombs are natural engineering marvels, using the least possible amount of wax to provide the greatest amount of storage space, with the greatest possible structural stability. Darwin recognised that explaining the evolution of the honey-bee’s comb…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Honey-bees construct wax combs inside their nests. The combs are made of hexagonal prisms – cells …
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 …
Scientific Networks
Summary
Friendship|Mentors|Class|Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections between people, places, and things that channel the communication of knowledge, and that substantially determine both its intellectual form and content,…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Friendship | Mentors | Class | Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific …
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 …
Alfred Russel Wallace
Summary
Wallace was a leading Victorian naturalist, with wide-ranging interests from biogeography and evolutionary theory to spiritualism and politics. He was born in 1823 in Usk, a small town in south-east Wales, and attended a grammar school in Hertford. At the…
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- … Wallace was a leading Victorian naturalist, with wide-ranging interests from biogeography and …
Darwin in letters, 1858-1859: Origin
Summary
The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on species, he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace…
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- … The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet …
The writing of "Origin"
Summary
From a quiet rural existence at Down in Kent, filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on the transmutation of species, Darwin was jolted into action in 1858 by the arrival of an unexpected letter (no longer extant) from Alfred Russel Wallace outlining a…
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- … When I was in spirits I sometimes fancied that my book w d be successful; but I never even …
Before Origin: the ‘big book’
Summary
Darwin began ‘sorting notes for Species Theory’ on 9 September 1854, the very day he concluded his eight-year study of barnacles (Darwin's Journal). He had long considered the question of species. In 1842, he outlined a theory of transmutation in a…
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- … Darwin began ‘sorting notes for Species Theory’ on 9 September 1854, the very day he concluded his …