To W. D. Fox 8 May [1858]
Down Bromley Kent
May 8th
My dear Fox
I send by this Post Dr. Lane’s Book, which you can keep as long as you like.1
I enjoyed your little visit extremely; & short as it was, you won golden opinions from the members of the Family there.—2 After you went, I thought of half-a-dozen subjects, which I shd. have much liked to have talked over with you.— I was an ungrateful dog not to have thanked you for all your several letters on Turkey chicks &c &c: and this, moreover, was the most serious kind of ingratitude; for it was ingratitude for favours to come; for I shall be very curious to hear about the Kite & Turkey-chicks by themselves.3 If you make the experiment, when the Hen is present, pray describe how far off the chicks run from her before they squat.
I got splendidly well the few last days at Moor Park, & walked one day two miles out & back; & I am now hard at work again as usual.—
Whenever you write, do tell me, whether you got your Hoes.
Farewell my good & dear Friend | Yours most truly | C. Darwin
Mem. if ever you see a Dun, even with only dorsal stripe, enquire colour of dam & sire: I have not been able even in one case to ascertain how Duns appear.—4
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Summary
Will be most curious to hear results of WDF’s experiment with a kite and turkey chicks "by themselves".
If WDF ever sees a striped dun horse, he should ascertain colour of dam and sire.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-2270
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Darwin Fox
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Christ’s College Library, Cambridge (MS 53 Fox 113)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 2270,” accessed on 19 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-2270.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 7