him more than you do, even perhaps more than good old Falconer does. But
I have bubbled over to one or two correspondents on this head, and will
say no more. I have sent Lubbock a little review of Bates' paper in
"Linn. Transact." (157/3. The unsigned review of Mr. Bates' work on
mimetic butterflies appeared in the "Nat. Hist. Review" (1863), page
219.) which L. seems to think will do for your "Review." Do inaugurate a
great improvement, and have pages cut, like the Yankees do; I will heap
blessings on your head. Do not waste your time in answering this.
LETTER 158. TO JOHN LUBBOCK [LORD AVEBURY]. Down, January 23rd [1863].
I have no criticism, except one sentence not perfectly smooth. I think
your introductory remarks very striking, interesting, and novel. (158/1.
"On the Development of Chloeon (Ephemera) dimidiatum, Part I. By John
Lubbock. "Trans. Linn. Soc." Volume XXIV., pages 61-78, 1864 [Read
January 15th, 1863].) They interested me the more, because the vaguest
thoughts of the same kind had passed through my head; but I had no idea
that they could be so well developed, nor did I know of exceptions.
Sitaris and Meloe (158/2. Sitaris and Meloe, two genera of coleopterous
insects, are referred to by Lubbock (op. cit., pages 63-64) as
"perhaps...the most remarkable cases...among the Coleoptera" of curious
and complicated metamorphoses.) seem very good. You have put the whole
case of metamorphosis in a new light; I dare say what you remark about
poverty of fresh-water is very true. (158/3. "We cannot but be struck
by the poverty of the fresh-water fauna when compared with that of
the ocean" (op. cit., page 64).) I think you might write a memoir
on fresh-water productions. I suggest that the key-note is that
land-productions are higher and have advantage in general over marine;
and consequently land-productions have generally been modified into
fresh-water productions, instead of marine productions being directly
changed into fresh-water productions, as at first seems more probable,
as the chance of immigration is always open from sea to rivers and
ponds.
My talk with you did me a deal of good, and I enjoyed it much.
LETTER 159. TO J.D. HOOKER. Down, January 13th [1863].
I send a very imperfect answer to [your] question, which I have written
on foreign paper to save you copying, and you can send when you write
to Thomson in Calcutta. Hereafter I shall be able to answer better your
question about qualities induced in individuals being inherited; gout
in man--loss of wool in sheep (which begins in the first generation and
takes two or three to complete); probably obesity (for it is rare with
poor); probably obesity and early maturity in short-horn cattle, etc.,
etc.
LETTER 160. TO A. DE CANDOLLE. Down, January 14th [1863].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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