To Francis Galton 22 February [1855]1
Down Farnborough Kent
Feby. 22
My dear Galton
Many thanks for your note & your trouble in searching out about the Pigeons.—2
I am most particularly obliged to you for having obtained Mr. Andersson very kind offer of information about the several Breeds of cattle in S. Africa:3 the information will be of real value to me. Please to give to Mr Andersson my cordial thanks. If he will take the trouble I shd. be much interested to hear about any difference in the breeds of any other domestic animals, sheep. goats dogs &c &c, kept by the several tribes. I do not at all want long descriptions; a very brief notice wd suffice for my purpose. Perhaps you would forward this note. i e if my horrid handwriting would be legible by a foreigner. If Mr. Andersson by an extraordinary chance shd. know anything about the origins of the breeds, such information wd. be eminently valuable to me. Do the natives ever procure a choice animal to cross their breeds with? Or do they ever make any selection of any peculiar colour, or any good useful character, & & breed from these? or is the breeding quite promiscuous? In periods of famine, wd. they make any selection & keep any particular animals as more valuable for breeding up their stock again?— These queries are not altogether vague, but are founded, more or less, on statements which I have heard.— I am really deeply interested on this subject, & shall be greatly indebted to you & Mr Andersson for any information, however slight.
Your’s very truly | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Summary
Thanks for FG’s note and trouble in searching out pigeons.
Is obliged to FG for obtaining C. J. Andersson’s offer of information about breeds of cattle in South Africa.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-1554F
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Francis Galton
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- National Library of South Africa, Cape Town
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 1554F,” accessed on 20 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-1554F.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 18 (Supplement)