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Darwin Correspondence Project

From Edward Jones to Mary Anne Ruck   28 April 1869

Hendrewallog

April 28th. 1869

Mrs. M L. Ruck

Dear Madam,

your letter of the 19th instt., came to hand duly but as to make an examination to the matter you referred to, I have been for few days looking through the sheep & I have to inform you, that there are good many of the male lambs having a horns to be seen when they first born, those of the femels which shall have a horns at all you can feel them in the skin1   there are several of the males having a horns half an inch some times above the wool when they first born— The male once will grow sooner than the femels a good deal— Though there are good many of males & femels without have any horns at all, when they grow unto ful size they got no more horns than a head of a finger— My Mother is better but not yet good enough as to leave home for change of air   But we expects that she will be able to go in course of a few days, She wishes to send her best respects to you & all the Family as well and so we do the same, my Father as well as myself2

I remain Dear Madam | your most obedient servant | Edward Jones

To Mrs M. L. Ruck

Pantlludw | nr. Machynlleth

Footnotes

CD had evidently asked Mary Anne Ruck, one of whose sons was friendly with Leonard Darwin (see Correspondence vol. 16, letter to Horace Darwin, 26 [July 1868] and n. 6), to ask farmers in her neighbourhood in Wales about the growth of sheep’s horns.
Jones’s parents have not been identified.

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Summary

Horns of sheep [see Descent 1: 289 n. 26].

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-6707
From
Edward Jones
To
Mary Anne Matthews/Mary Anne Ruck
Sent from
Hendrewaellog
Source of text
DAR 83: 182–3
Physical description
ALS 3pp † (by CD)

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6707,” accessed on 23 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6707.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 17

letter