To Asa Gray 14 July [1862]
Summary
Adaptations of orchid flowers. Believes the structure of all irregular flowers is adaptation to insect fertilisation.
Linum grandiflorum distinguishes its own pollen so that when placed on stigma of same flower the pollen-tube is not even exserted.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 14 July [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (70) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3656 |
Matches: 9 hits
- … irregular flowers is adaptation to insect fertilisation. Linum grandiflorum distinguishes …
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … it would be a very great anomaly, if insects open the anther for nectar: you say nothing …
- … would be forced under lip of anther. Insects ought to be watched at work. In Australia …
- … believe that the structure of all irregular flowers is governed in relation to insects. …
- … Insects are the Lords of the floral (to quote the witty Athenæum) world. — How well you …
- … grains Pollen within a lid, he thinks insects lift this to get at nectar within! Does …
- … included an account of the adaptation for insect pollination of the floral anatomy of this …
- … is, with few known exceptions, left to insects. Gray was Fisher Professor of natural …
To Asa Gray 23[–4] July [1862]
Summary
AG’s orchid observations are admirable.
Owen has lectured on birds’ descending from one form.
French criticism of CD’s Primula paper.
Only AG has seen that Orchids was "a ""flank movement"" on the enemy".
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 23[–4] July [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (76) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3662 |
Matches: 12 hits
- … wool-card’ in removing pollen from any insect ‘working its way upwards to the base of the …
- … that he had ‘not been able to detect insects actually at work’. Gray’s observations on …
- … wrong, & fertilisation may always be by small insects bodily crawling in: I wish you could …
- … by which orchids are fertilised by insects. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition, revised. …
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … Does it live in arctic regions where insects may be scarce? It would be very good to …
- … that Cypripedium must be pollinated by an insect inserting its proboscis into one of the …
- … that the flowers are fertilized by small insects entering the labellum through the large …
- … Gray described how it would be possible for an insect to cross-pollinate P. hyperborea , …
- … crossing in this species, wherever proper insects abound; where they do not, it will be …
- … 25–6. See n. 8, above. In his account of insect pollination in Cypripedium ( A. Gray …
- … that I understand the passages by which insects crawl in & out. Could you give a diagram? …
To Asa Gray 10–20 June [1862]
Summary
Thanks AG for praise of Orchids and his notes on several American species of orchid. Comments on AG’s observations.
Is experimenting [on dimorphism] with Rhexia and Melastoma.
Asks AG’s opinion of a paper by Thomas Meehan ["On the uniformity of relative characters between allied species of European and American trees", Proc. Philadelphia Acad. Nat. Sci. (1862): 10–13] which is the best case of the apparently direct action of the conditions of life CD has seen.
Requests postage stamp for his ill son [Leonard].
Thanks AG for observations on Cypripedium and gives recent observations of his own.
Arethusa is very pretty; structure seems like that of Vanilla.
Finds the little (so-called imperfect) flowers of Viola and Oxalis curious: the pollen-grains emit their tubes whilst within the anthers, and they travel in straight lines right to the stigmas.
Sympathises with events in the U. S.
Reports on French translation of Origin by Mlle C. Royer, "one of the cleverest & oddest women in Europe".
Alphonse de Candolle says he wants direct proof of natural selection; "he will have to wait a long time for that".
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 10–20 June [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (66) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3595 |
Matches: 13 hits
- … by which orchids are fertilised by insects. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition, revised. …
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … would take probably a long time before new insects would learn the dodge. — You probably …
- … a plant or plants could be protected from insects. I have now a Rhexia glandulosa under …
- … of fertilisation. But I did not think of insects crawling into flower; still less of …
- … compound curious comb, which would compel an insect in retreating to rub its back against …
- … understand whole mechanism. — … If an insect entered & [ del illeg ] climbed up face of …
- … 2d ed. , pp. 219–20), and stated: ‘If an insect were to gnaw the terminal cup [of the …
- … upwards and adhere to some part of the insect’s body. ’ The notes referred to have not …
- … that Cypripedium must be pollinated by an insect inserting its proboscis into one of the …
- … that the flowers are fertilized by small insects entering the labellum through the large …
- … states: I must correct my saying that insects could reach end of Labellum with greatest …
- … statement in Orchids , p. 274 that ‘An insect could reach the extremity of the labellum, …
To Asa Gray [3–]4 September [1862]
Summary
Glad AG will publish some separate notes on orchids ["Fertilization of orchids through the agency of insects", Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 34 (1862): 420–9].
Trimorphism in Lythrum.
Bee behaviour.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | [3–]4 Sept [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (68) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3710 |
Matches: 7 hits
- … of orchids through the agency of insects", Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 34 (1862): 420–9]. …
- … by which orchids are fertilised by insects. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition, revised. …
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … Neottia nidus-avis fertilises itself, if insects fail to do the job . — Many thanks for …
- … as you know, has been connected with insects, & now I am almost sure ( but I find it a …
- … discovery with respect to the best-known insect in the world, the Hive Bee. I saw the …
- … a plant which had been covered to exclude insects, with those from an uncovered plant (see …
To Asa Gray 1 July [1862]
Summary
Thanks for notes on Cypripedium and Platanthera hookeri, which is really beautiful and quite a new case.
His son, George, has been observing the insect fertilisation of orchids.
CD has been crossing peloric flowers of Pelargonium, but doubts he will get good results with respect to sterility of hybrids.
Rhexia glandulosa does not appear to be dimorphic. Lythrum is trimorphic.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 1 July [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (69) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3634 |
Matches: 8 hits
- … case. His son, George, has been observing the insect fertilisation of orchids. CD has been …
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … hangs obliquely downwards & the minute insects enter between its Edge & the huge viscid …
- … the under side of the disc. So closely fitted is the flower to the insect, that my son …
- … saw several times insects after entering in a wrong position come out, change their …
- … Germany. — Rhexia glandulosa, I does require insect agency to set seed; but I see as yet …
- … recording George’s observations of the insects visiting several orchid species, are in DAR …
- … kept by CD of George’s observations on insects visiting H. monorchis , dated 22–7 June …
To Asa Gray 26[–7] November [1862]
Summary
Discusses AG’s article ["Dimorphism", Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 34 (1862): 419–20]. Does not like the terms "dioecio-dimorphism" or "precocious fertilisation". Discusses the separation of sexes in plants; cannot doubt that hermaphroditism is the aboriginal state.
Discusses AG’s observations on orchids and his review of Orchids [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 34 (1862): 138–51].
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 26[–7] Nov [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (50) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3830 |
Matches: 11 hits
- … Henry Walter. 1862. Contributions to an insect fauna of the Amazon valley. Coleoptera: …
- … by which orchids are fertilised by insects. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition, revised. …
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … flowers can only be perfectly fertilised by insects & are in this case abundantly crossed; …
- … in early spring, visited enough by insects, & therefore the little imperfect self- …
- … canina is sterile, when not visited by insects, but when so visited forms plenty of seed. …
- … from structure of 3 or 4 forms of Balsamineæ that these require insects; at least there is …
- … almost as plain adaptation to insects as in Orchids. — I have Oxalis acetosella ready in …
- … this summer, is absolutely sterile if insects are excluded. Specularia speculum is fairly …
- … few days the flowers are not visited by insects. ? Your observations on Cypripedium seem …
- … it seems to me now more likely that small insects should lick juice off hairs with jaws or …
To Asa Gray 8 January 1873
Summary
Has received, through AG, a letter on Dionaea [from W. M. Canby] which has greatly interested him. CD asks AG to question his correspondent on whether it catches large or small insects.
Mary Treat will observe Drosera filiformis.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 8 Jan 1873 |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (102) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-8728 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … on whether it catches large or small insects. Mary Treat will observe Drosera filiformis . …
- … stated whether any of the captured insects were quite minute. Does your friend …
- … his conclusion that a leaf after catching an insect never acts again? this agrees with my …
- … whether the Dionæa catches large or small insects. It w d . be advisable to gather a …
- … abdomen) of an average sized captured insect; & then state how many exceeded or were less …
From Charles Wright to Asa Gray 20, 25, and 26 March and 1 April 1864
Summary
Describes the flower and mode of action of a particular orchid.
Has been examining Spiranthes and is experimenting to see whether insects are necessary for its fertilisation.
It seems that Oncidium is designed so as not to be fertilised.
Author: | Charles Wright |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 20, 25 and 26 Mar 1864 and 1 Apr 1864 |
Classmark: | DAR 181: 163 |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4433 |
Matches: 7 hits
- … and is experimenting to see whether insects are necessary for its fertilisation. It seems …
- … by which orchids are fertilised by insects. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition, revised. …
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … crests between which the proboscis of the insect must pass to reach the nectar in the …
- … loosened pollen in some way or that minute insects crawling over it may carry some of it …
- … test the matter of fertilization & see if insects are absolutely necessary to insure seed …
- … has no nectary & I dont know what an insect should visit it for. But suppose a bumble-bee …
To Asa Gray 20 July [1857]
Summary
Believes species have arisen, like domestic varieties, with much extinction, and that there are no such things as independently created species. Explains why he believes species of the same genus generally have a common or continuous area; they are actual lineal descendants.
Discusses fertilisation in the bud and the insect pollination of papilionaceous flowers. His theory explains why, despite the risk of injury, cross-fertilisation is usual in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, even in hermaphrodites.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 20 July [1857] |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (9b) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2125 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … Discusses fertilisation in the bud and the insect pollination of papilionaceous flowers. …
- … like pollen, be occasionally carried by insects or wind; there is no case of land -animals …
- … to the cross-pollination of Fumaria by insects in his species book ( Natural selection , …
- … that the flowers are constructed partly in direct relation to the visits of insects; & …
- … how insects can avoid bringing pollen from other individuals I cannot understand. It is …
To Asa Gray 31 May [1863]
Summary
AG’s review of Alphonse de Candolle’s paper [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 35 (1863): 430–44] is excellent.
Does not AG consider that orchids oppose Oswald Heer’s view that species arise suddenly by monstrosities?
Infers that AG cannot explain the angles of phyllotaxy; has been looking at Carl Nägeli on the subject.
Reports Gaston de Saporta’s belief that natural selection will ultimately triumph in France.
Is working slowly at Variation.
Reports his observations on the imperfect flowers of Viola and Oxalis.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 31 May [1863] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (84) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4196 |
Matches: 6 hits
- … orchid shows prettier adaptation to insects which are necessary for its fertilisation:— …
- … by which orchids are fertilised by insects. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition, revised. …
- … that in Oxalis the perfect flowers required insect-aid for fertilisation; so this view is …
- … on the head. Viola, however, does require insects. I must yet stick to my opinion that the …
- … and the other sort for fertilisation by insect agency or other means. CD made further …
- … hence adapted to cross-pollination by insects, but later concluded that the species was …
To Asa Gray 25 June 1874
Summary
Remarks on his work on Pinguicula. Notes its digestive power; it absorbs nutritious matter from leaves and seeds as well as insects.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 25 June 1874 |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (108) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9511 |
To Asa Gray 5 June [1861]
Summary
AG’s review of John Phillips’ book [Life on earth (1860), in Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 31 (1861): 444–9].
Thinks his experiments will explain Primula dimorphism.
Insect fertilisation of orchids.
Wishes that the "greatest curse on Earth", slavery, were abolished.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 5 June [1861] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (60) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3176 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … experiments will explain Primula dimorphism. Insect fertilisation of orchids. Wishes that …
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … numbers ? — I have also been working on insect fertilisation of Orchids—beautiful facts—& …
- … is cited in Orchids as having observed insects visiting Cypripedium , but no mention is …
To Asa Gray 28 July [1862]
Summary
AG’s "capital" review of Orchids [Am. J. Sci. 2d ser. 34 (1862): 138–44].
Thinks there are three forms of Lythrum salicaria.
Discusses transport of seeds by sea.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 28 July [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (75) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3667 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … vibratile labellum in foreign orchids; insects would have to watched at work. — You speak …
- … Calopogon? I sh d . be very much surprised if insect suck stigma: the speculation crossed …
- … orchids might be designed to attract insects ‘in the same manner as the bright colours and …
- … Orchids apparently serve to attract insects’ ( Orchids , p. 171). CD discussed Gray’s …
To Asa Gray 12 March [1861]
Summary
Has received Chauncey Wright’s article.
Reports on favourable response to AG’s pamphlet.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 12 Mar [1861] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (52) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3087 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … look whether pollen-masses are removed (by insects? ). — Could you do me a great favour …
- … by which orchids are fertilised by insects. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition, revised. …
- … adapted to brush off the pollen from an insect’s head or back. ’ ( Orchids 2d ed. , p. …
To Asa Gray 23 November [1862]
Summary
Recommends H. W. Bates’s paper on butterflies of Amazonia ["Insect fauna of the Amazon valley", Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. 23 (1862): 495–566].
Lyell’s book [Antiquity of man (1863)] is eagerly awaited.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 23 Nov [1862] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (49) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-3820 |
To Asa Gray 3 June [1874]
Summary
CD is deeply pleased by AG’s article on him in Nature [10 (1874): 79–81].
Is preparing book on "Drosera and Co." for the printers. Reports observations on digestion in Drosera and Pinguicula.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 3 June [1874] |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (103) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-9480 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … 232–4. [Gray, Asa. ] 1874b. Do plants eat insects? Gardeners’ Chronicle , 2 May 1874, pp. …
- … holds good for albumen, gelatin & insects, but I am now in the midst of my observations. — …
- … reprinted in two parts as ‘Do plants eat insects? ’ in the Gardeners’ Chronicle , 2 May …
- … in the mechanisms by which plants attracted insects, whether as aids to fertilisation, as …
To Asa Gray 31 October [1860]
Summary
Talks of getting copies of AG’s Atlantic Monthly articles for distribution in England.
Describes the pollinating mechanisms of Orchis pyramidalis and Spiranthes autumnalis.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 31 Oct [1860] |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (45 and 124a) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2969 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … by fig 2. All the flowers which have been visited by insects are in this condition. …
- … Change the needle into the proboscis of insect, & you will see how fertilisation is …
- … attached nearly parallel to proboscis; & the insect visiting a second flower is sure to …
To Asa Gray 20 March [1863]
Summary
Discusses the meaning of C. K. Sprengel’s term "dichogamy". Dichogamous plants are functionally monoecious; Primula is functionally dioecious.
Reports Hermann Crüger’s observations of Cattleya and of bees pollinating Catasetum. Crüger will observe Melastomataceae.
Has built a hothouse.
Fears Amsinckia cannot be dimorphic.
Ill health slows his work on Variation.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 20 Mar [1863] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (58) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4053 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … Henry Walter. 1861. Contributions to an insect fauna of the Amazon valley. Lepidoptera : …
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … I wrote to him to ask him to observe what insects did in flowers of Melastomaceæ; he says …
- … that floral structures were often adapted for insect visitation ( DSB ). These doctrines …
To Asa Gray 5 September [1857]
Summary
Encloses an abstract of his ideas on natural selection and the principle of divergence; the "means by which nature makes her species".
Discusses varieties and close species in large and small genera, finding some data from AG in conflict with his expectations.
Has been observing the action of bees in fertilising kidney beans and Lobelia.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 5 Sept [1857] |
Classmark: | Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University (48) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-2136 |
Matches: 5 hits
- … that the pollen masses adhered to the backs of insects that visited the flowers ( Natural …
- … the misseltoe with its pollen carried by insects & seed by Birds the woodpecker with its …
- … tail beak & tongue to climb trees & secure insects. To talk of climate or Lamarckian habit …
- … this in my garden is never visited by insects & never sets seeds, without pollen be put on …
- … to 18 genera),—or in the plants and insects, on any little uniform islet, belonging almost …
To Asa Gray 28 May [1864]
Summary
Is slowly writing Lythrum paper [Collected papers 2: 106–31].
Thanks for [Charles?] Wright’s observations on orchids
– could he note what attracts insects to Begonia and Melastoma? H. Crüger, who was going to observe Melastomataceae, has died.
Describes the climbing habits of Bignonia capreolata and Eccremocarpus scaber.
How does AG know the perfect flowers of Voandzeia are quite sterile?
He has a case of dimorphism in holly; asks AG to report on American hollies.
Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
Addressee: | Asa Gray |
Date: | 28 May [1864] |
Classmark: | Gray Herbarium of Harvard University (79) |
Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4511 |
Matches: 4 hits
- … on orchids – could he note what attracts insects to Begonia and Melastoma ? H. Crüger, who …
- … and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of intercrossing. …
- … write to him, beg him to note what attracts insects to Begonias? do they gnaw or penetrate …
- … s many inquiries into the habits of insects visiting flowers of the family Melastomataceae …
letter | (53) |
Darwin, C. R. | (52) |
Wright, Charles | (1) |
Gray, Asa | (53) |
Darwin, C. R. | (52) |
Wright, Charles | (1) |
Insectivorous Plants
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Plants that consume insects Darwin began his work with insectivorous plants in the mid 1860s, though his findings would not be published until 1875. In his autobiography Darwin reflected on the delay that…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Questions | Experiment Plants that consume insects Darwin began his work …
Orchids
Summary
Why Orchids? Darwin wrote in his Autobiography, ‘During the summer of 1839, and, I believe, during the previous summer, I was led to attend to the cross-fertilisation of flowers by the aid of insects, from having come to the conclusion in my…
Matches: 6 hits
- … attend to the cross-fertilisation of flowers by the aid of insects, from having come to the …
- … of Orchideæ & there is something about the visits of insects which quite puzzles me.— The Fly …
- … by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of …
- … of various orchids, Darwin had to infer the role of insects from the floral architecture. For this …
- … examining the live plants, with reference to visits of insects, I believe their means of …
- … all parts of the flower are coadapted for fertilisation by insects, & therefore the result of n. …
Orchids
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment A project to follow On the Origin of Species Darwin began to observe English orchids and collect specimens from abroad in the years immediately following the publication of On the Origin of Species. Examining…
Matches: 6 hits
- … by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects . London: John Murray. …
- … in the co-evolution of orchids and their pollinating insects. Letter 5637 - Alfred …
- … at beauty of contrivances with respect to fertilisation by insects. After reading a …
- … by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects , the students found it useful to …
- … by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects . The experiment is simple – all you …
- … uses a pollen release mechanism that ejects pollinia onto insects as they enter the orchid. To …
From morphology to movement: observation and experiment
Summary
Darwin was a thoughtful observer of the natural world from an early age. Whether on a grand scale, as exemplified by his observations on geology, or a microscopic one, as shown by his early work on the eggs and larvae of tiny bryozoans, Darwin was…
Sexual selection
Summary
Although natural selection could explain the differences between species, Darwin realised that (other than in the reproductive organs themselves) it could not explain the often marked differences between the males and females of the same species. So what…
Cross and self fertilisation
Summary
The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…
Matches: 4 hits
- … by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects, and on the good effects of …
- … in England, but which are not properly visited by insects & so have been rarely crossed’ ( To …
- … [1867] ). Darwin was beginning to suspect that the insects which could transfer pollen in sweet …
- … of Darwin’s views on crossing, and his paper, ‘Are insects any material aid to plants in …
Insectivorous plants
Summary
Darwin’s work on insectivorous plants began by accident. While on holiday in the summer of 1860, staying with his wife’s relatives in Hartfield, Sussex, he went for long walks on the heathland and became curious about the large number of insects caught by…
Matches: 4 hits
- … the heathland and became curious about the large number of insects caught by the common sundew ( …
- … found that over half of the leaves had the remnants of dead insects adhering to them. The project …
- … the upper surface of the Drosera leaf bend over to trap insects. He had been busy performing …
- … celebrated the publication with a poem written from the insects’ point of view : …
Darwin in letters, 1867: A civilised dispute
Summary
Charles Darwin’s major achievement in 1867 was the completion of his large work, The variation of animals and plants under domestication (Variation). The importance of Darwin’s network of correspondents becomes vividly apparent in his work on expression in…
Matches: 7 hits
- … by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects ( Orchids ). While Darwin …
- … ), Darwin defended his position about colour in adult insects but turned the discussion to the role …
- … his argument about the protective function of colour in both insects and birds. Darwin conceded that …
- … community in order to gather more information on insects. Moreover, he was still able to engage in …
- … charming observations on the fertilisation of Orchids by insects, as far as the Westfalian Flora …
- … my attention in general to the fertilisation of flowers by insects.’ By the summer, Hermann was …
- … by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects ( Orchids ). In October, …
Descent
Summary
There are more than five hundred letters associated with the research and writing of Darwin’s book, Descent of man and selection in relation to sex (Descent). They trace not only the tortuous route to eventual publication, but the development of Darwin’s…
Matches: 1 hits
- … through the animal kingdom, reaching the ‘ end of Insects ’ by the end of February. He kept …
Darwin in letters, 1875: Pulling strings
Summary
‘I am getting sick of insectivorous plants’, Darwin confessed in January 1875. He had worked on the subject intermittently since 1859, and had been steadily engaged on a book manuscript for nine months; January also saw the conclusion of a bitter dispute…
Matches: 3 hits
Forms of flowers
Summary
Darwin’s book The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species, published in 1877, investigated the structural differences in the sexual organs of flowers of the same species. It drew on and expanded five articles Darwin had published on the…
Dipsacus and Drosera: Frank’s favourite carnivores
Summary
In Autumn of 1875, Francis Darwin was busy researching aggregation in the tentacles of Drosera rotundifolia (F. Darwin 1876). This phenomenon occurs when coloured particles within either protoplasm or the fluid in the cell vacuole (the cell sap) cluster…
Matches: 5 hits
- … the nutriment of the plant in dry seasons, and to prevent insects from creeping up to devour its …
- … the precursor to slimy secretions capable of catching live insects. Still finishing his article on …
- … a plant catching & feeding on solid particles of decaying insects. ’ Francis consulted …
- … believed that the leaves were ‘adapted for the capture of insects whose decaying remains are …
- … into two lots, one half being starved and the other fed with insects or pieces of meat’, not unlike …
Was Darwin an ecologist?
Summary
One of the most fascinating aspects of Charles Darwin’s correspondence is the extent to which the experiments he performed at his home in Down, in the English county of Kent, seem to prefigure modern scientific work in ecology.
Matches: 3 hits
Women’s scientific participation
Summary
Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively and routinely, in the nineteenth-century scientific community. Here is a…
Matches: 6 hits
- … work on butterflies and offers to observe birds, insects or plants on Darwin’s behalf. …
- … Darwin observations made by her and her father of plants and insects. Men: Letter …
- … Margaretta Hare Morris describes her work on fish and insects, undertaken on the shores of mountain …
- … which she found near a bog. She also sends a selection of insects, which are carefully packed in a …
- … 1855] Margaretta Hare Morris describes her work on insects, undertaken on the shores of …
- … work on butterflies and offers to observe birds, insects or plants on Darwin’s behalf. …
Darwin's works in letters
Summary
For the 163rd anniversary of the publication of Origin, we've added a new page to our Works in letters section on Cross and self fertilisation. These complement our existing pages on the 'big book' before Origin, Origin itself, the…
Matches: 1 hits
- … by which British and foreign orchids are fertilised by insects (1862) Climbing plants …
Darwin’s study of the Cirripedia
Summary
Darwin’s work on barnacles, conducted between 1846 and 1854, has long posed problems for historians. Coming between his transmutation notebooks and the Origin of species, it has frequently been interpreted as a digression from Darwin’s species work. Yet…
The evolution of honeycomb
Summary
Honeycombs are natural engineering marvels, using the least possible amount of wax to provide the greatest amount of storage space, with the greatest possible structural stability. Darwin recognised that explaining the evolution of the honey-bee’s comb…
Matches: 5 hits
- … bee cell was a favourite subject. The question of how little insects could solve correctly a design …
- … of bees, and that, in the case of the hive bee, a number of insects worked together, first …
- … whilst examining the nests of a vast number of Hymenopterous insects, he still believes those views …
- … which apparently embellishes the productions of these insects, is rather the necessary result than …
- … from simpler forms (the less organised, round cells of other insects), and explained their method of …
Darwin’s reading notebooks
Summary
In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to read in Notebook C (Notebooks, pp. 319–28). In 1839, these lists were copied and continued in separate notebooks. The first of these reading notebooks (DAR 119…
Matches: 15 hits
- … [Whitehead 1851]. Packard. A Guide to the Study of Insects 1868. U. States [Packard 1868–9] …
- … 1781]. Ekmarck on migration [Ekmarck 1781]. Linn. on insects [Linnaeus 1781b]. Forsskahl on Flora of …
- … 54 122 Sept. 25 Westwoods Modern Classification of Insects [Westwood 1839–40].— Oct …
- … Economie des Celtes [Reynier 1818] Harris Treatise of Insects [T. W. Harris 1842] …
- … Anon. 1835. Thoughts on the geographical distribution of insects. Entomological Magazine 2: 44 …
- … *128: 165 Baeckner, Michael A. 1781. On noxious insects. In Linnaeus, ed., Select …
- … 17b Forsskahl, Jonas Gustav. 1781. The flora of insects. In Linnaeus, ed., Select …
- … Thaddeus William. 1842. A treatise on some of the insects of New England, which are injurious …
- … to entomology; or, elements of the natural history of insects . 4 vols. London. [Darwin Library. …
- … sur divers sujets de l’histoire naturelle des insects, de géographie ancienne et de …
- … Academicæ . London. 119: 10a ——. 1781b. On insects, oration. In Linnaeus, ed., Select …
- … Alpheus Spring. 1868–9. Guide to the study of insects . 10 pts. Salem, Mass. [Darwin Library. …
- … An introduction to the modern classification of insects . 2 vols. London. [Darwin Library.] …
- … 1854. Insecta Maderensia; being an account of the insects of the islands of the Madeiran …
- … Atlantidum; being an enumeration of the Coleopterous insects of the Madeiras, Salvages, and …
George Robert Waterhouse
Summary
George Waterhouse was born on 6 March 1810 in Somers Town, North London. His father was a solicitor’s clerk and an amateur lepidopterist. George was educated from 1821-24 at Koekelberg near Brussels. On his return he worked for a time as an apprentice to…
Darwin in letters, 1869: Forward on all fronts
Summary
At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of Origin. He may have resented the interruption to his work on sexual selection and human evolution, but he spent forty-six days on the task. Much of the…