From Albert Müller 28 March 1866
2, Camden Villas, | Jasmin Grove, Penge | SE.
28th. March 1866.
Dear Sir.
I hope you will kindly excuse the liberty, I take in calling your attention to the latest work of my countryman Prof. O. Heer, “Die Urwelt der Schweiz”. Zürich 1865.—1 On pg 599 & seq., in a footnote, the author refers to your valuable observation, that f. sanguinea keeps less slaves in this country than in Switzerland;2 but he adds. ‘es sind diess aber unbedeutende Unterschiede, die nach den Jahreszeiten und auch nach den verschiedenen Stöcken wechseln”. etc.—3
If it does not give you too much trouble, I should feel much obliged by your informing me at your convenience, to what circumstances you attribute the fact that these slaves are captured in greater numbers in Switzerland than in England.—
It seems to me that British ants, being through climate etc. in a harder struggle for life & food, ought rather be found to keep more slaves to attend to their wants, than their Swiss brethren, which have a richer fauna & flora to fall back upon & therefore less labour to perform.—
Apologizing for my intruding upon you, I am, | Dear Sir, | your’s obediently | Albert Müller
Charles Darwin Esqre.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Heer, Oswald. 1865. Die Urwelt der Schweiz. Zurich: Friedrich Schulthess.
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
Oswald Heer [in Die Urwelt der Schweiz (1866)] agrees with CD that Swiss ants (Formica sanguinea) capture more slaves than do British ants. Does this contradict selection, since the British ants are exposed to harder conditions and a poorer fauna?
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5039
- From
- Albert Müller
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Penge
- Source of text
- DAR 171: 280
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5039,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5039.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 14