From George Stewardson Brady 19 March 1865
22 Fawcett St, | Sunderland;
March 19. 1865.
Dear Sir,
You will, I feel sure, forgive my encroaching upon your leisure by asking for a little information on a subject mentioned in your book on the “Origin of Species”.—
In a paragraph about the fertilization of clover by the humble-bee you mention that no other insect is so constructed as to be able to get at the nectar, and that consequently, but for its agency, the clover would probably become extinct.1 A good while ago I quoted this passage in a lecture delivered to the Natural History Society at Newcastle;2 and afterwards a friend of mine (Mr Howse)3 laughed the whole thing to scorn, saying that he had often seen the tubes of the corolla of the Clover pierced halfway down by other insects for the sake of getting at the nectar. I should much like to know whether you can give any explanation of this, or whether these punctures, supposing them to exist can be made by any other creatures or for other purposes.—4 After all it is a matter of no consequence to your theory, nor do I see that it even much affects your assertion as to the fertilization of the clover, for I fancy that by the operation of piercing the corolla, any pollen adhering to the proboscis of an insect must be rubbed off before getting even inside the tube, so that fertilization would still be left to be effected by the longer proboscis of the bee.
It is due to you to mention why I should like an answer from you on this question. I have engaged to read a paper to our Geological Society at Sunderland on the “Origin of Species”, and I know that my friend, who is a virulent Anti-Darwinian, intends to be there; and as I again quote this passage he will certainly attack it.
So that I shall esteem it a great favour if you will kindly give me something to say about it.
Believe me, | very truly yours | George S. Brady.
P.S. | I forward, for your acceptance a copy of a short paper of mine on Marine Entomostraca.5
Footnotes
Bibliography
Brady, George Stewardson. 1865. Report on the pelagic Entomostraca [dredged off the coast of Northumberland and Durham 1862–4]. Natural History Transactions of Northumberland and Durham 1 (1865–7): 29–40.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Origin 4th ed.: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 4th edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1866.
Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.
Summary
CD’s statement in Origin that clover is utterly dependent on humble-bee for fertilisation has been questioned by his friend’s evidence of visits by other insects. Asks CD’s opinion.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-4790
- From
- George Stewardson Brady
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Sunderland
- Source of text
- DAR 160: 276
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4790,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4790.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 13