From S. V. Wood Sr to Charles Lyell 30 September 1873
Brentwood, Essex.
Septr 30. 1873.
My dear Sir Charles
With respect to Leda limatula I send you a proof of p. 114 in which you will see that I do not now regard the shell which I had for some time considered identical with it as the same & that I have reverted to my name of 1840 oblongoides.1
Tritonium carinatum you will find in my synoptical list under the name of Trophon antiquus var. carinatus (the name of Tritonium I have rejected as in this were several others generically distinct (see Note Supplt to Crag Moll p. 19) altho’ it is a shell of the Sutton & Butley Red Crag & also a Bridlington one I am not aware of its occurrence in the Chillesford Beds. it is altogether a Northern form.
With respect to the Scrobicularia Beds I do not exclude them from the Red Crag tho’ I have given a separate column for them (see footnote p. 203) they form the uppermost portion of the Red Crag in actual section & their relation to the Fluvio-marine is fully discussed at pages VIII & IX of the Introduction to my Supplement in the Pall Vol for the year 18712
My son desires me to thank you for the extract from Mr Darwins book & to say that whatever may be the case as to the Ribstone pippin his experiments satisfy him that the general principles enunciated by Mr Darwin in this paragraph are at variance with the true state of the case the rule being that the cultivated apple produces progeny identical with itself the reverse being the exception.3 On the other hand the Oak produces an infinite variety of progeny for altho the acorns of one tree are all alike those of separate Oaks differ greatly He also bids me mention to you that so far as he can learn from acquaintances who have raised plants from Orange pips the same feeble productive power obtains in their case as in that of the seedling apple
Yours very truly | Searles V. Wood
Sir Chas. Lyell Bart.
P.S. The four shells you mention at p. 168 viz Cardium Groenlandicum Leda limatula (taking this as Leda oblongoides) Tritonium carinatum & Scalaria Groenlandica are all species of the Red Crag of Butley.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Wood, Searles Valentine. 1848–61. A monograph of the crag Mollusca, with descriptions of shells from the upper Tertiaries of the British Isles. 2 vols. London: Palaeontographical Society.
Wood, Searles Valentine. 1871. Supplement to the crag Mollusca, Part I (univalves). Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society 25: i–xxxi, 1–98.
Wood, Searles Valentine. 1873. Supplement to the crag Mollusca, Part II (bivalves). Monograph of the Palaeontographical Society 27: 99–231.
Summary
Sends proofs of pages on shells with revised species names. Discusses Crag Moll, Sutton and Butley Red Grag, and Scrobicularia beds. Son asks him to thank Lyell for extract from Darwin’s book.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9077F
- From
- Searles Valentine Wood
- To
- Charles Lyell, 1st baronet
- Sent from
- Brentwood, Essex
- Source of text
- The University of Edinburgh Centre for Research Collections (Gen.117/6422-3)
- Physical description
- ALS
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9077F,” accessed on 23 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9077F.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 21