Darwin, C. R. to Mivart, St G. J.
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He has found passage on false belief, Variation 2: 414, and does not think the whole with context is dogmatic. [Encloses copy of the passage.]
Summary Add
Transcription
Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.
Jan 28
My dear Sir
Though I may appear bothersome I must thank you cordially for your
letter: it has given me in [every] way sincere pleasure.— I have
told Murray to send you a copy of Dom. Animals, as I thought you w
[Enclosure: 1]
Animal and Plants Voll 2. page 414
On the other hand it is certain that the ancon and mauchamp breeds of sheep, and almost certain that the niata cattle, turnspit and pug-dogs, jumper and frizzled fowls, short faced tumbler pigeons, hook-billed ducks &c, and with plants a multitude of varieties, suddenly appeared in nearly the same state as we now see them. The frequency of these cases is likely to lead to the false belief that natural species have often originated in the same abrupt manner. But we have no evidence of the appearance or at least of the continued procreation under nature of abrupt modifications of structure and various general reasons could be assigned against such a b[el]ief: for instance, without separation a single monstrous variation would almost certainly be soon obliterated by crossing.
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- f1 7462a.f1
CD refers to the letter from St G. J. Mivart, 26 January 1871. - +
- f2 7462a.f2
CD refers to his publisher, John Murray. Mivart had said that he did not have a copy of Variation (letter from St G. J. Mivart, 26 January 1871). - +
- f3 7462a.f3
See letter to Francis Darwin, [after 21 January 1871], n. 2, letter to St G. J. Mivart, 23 January [1871], and letter from St G. J. Mivart, 26 January 1871. - +
- f4 7462a.f4
CD also discussed ancon and Mauchamp sheep in Variation 1: 100. - +
- f5 7462a.f5
On niata cattle, see also Variation 1: 89--91. - +
- f6 7462a.f6
On turnspit dogs, see also Variation 1: 17. - +
- f7 7462a.f7
See also Variation 1: 230. - +
- f8 7462a.f8
See also Variation 1: 152--3.