To Wilhelm Breitenbach 20 [June] 18811
Down. | Beckenham Kent [Glenridding House, Patterdale.]
Jan 20th. 1881.
Dear Sir.
I am glad to hear that you have arrived safely in Brazil & are hard at work— I hope & believe that you will make many interesting & new observations— I think that you are wise to attend to the orders of Insects, which have been generally neglected—2 I suppose that amongst other points, Fritz Müller was thinking of the Ants which live in little cavities or cells in the leaves of the Melastomaceae—3 The manner of fertilization & the meaning of the 2 very different sets of Anthers in the flowers of the plants of this order would be worth attending to— I have experimented on these plants in hot houses with but little success—4 If by any chance you should come across any heterostyled annual or herbaceous plant & could send me seeds I should be glad of them, so as to raise illegitimate seedlings & test their fertility.5
I have directed my publisher to send you a copy of my last book, in which I was aided by my son Francis who is now working at Strasburg under De Bary.6
I received & was much interested by your paper on the several forms of reproduction7
I heartily wish you health & success, I do not think the want of books will be so serious an evil as you suppose—, for collecting & still more observing & making notes will fill up your whole time— I do not believe that Wallace Bates or Belt read much (nor did I) whilst at work in S. America.8
I remain Dear Sir. | Yours faithfully. | Charles Darwin.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Bates, Henry Walter. 1863. The naturalist on the River Amazons. A record of adventures, habits of animals, sketches of Brazilian and Indian life, and aspects of nature under the equator, during eleven years of travel. 2 vols. London: John Murray.
Belt, Thomas. 1874a. The naturalist in Nicaragua: a narrative of a residence at the gold mines of Chontales; journeys in the savannahs and forests. With observations on animals and plants in reference to the theory of evolution of living forms. London: John Murray.
Breitenbach, Wilhelm. 1881a. Die Entstehung der geschlechtlichen Fortpflanzung. Eine phylogenetische Studie. Kosmos 8 (1880–1): 248–57.
Movement in plants: The power of movement in plants. By Charles Darwin. Assisted by Francis Darwin. London: John Murray. 1880.
‘Three forms of Lythrum salicaria’: On the sexual relations of the three forms of Lythrum salicaria. By Charles Darwin. [Read 16 June 1864.] Journal of the Linnean Society (Botany) 8 (1865): 169–96. [Collected papers 2: 106–31.]
Wallace, Alfred Russel. 1853. A narrative of travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro, with an account of the native tribes, and observations on the climate, geology, and natural history of the Amazon valley. London: Reeve.
Summary
Glad WB has arrived in Brazil. Suggests study of insects and study of fertilisation in Melastomataceae. Want of books is not a serious evil.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13021
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Wilhelm Breitenbach
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 143: 145
- Physical description
- C 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13021,” accessed on 24 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13021.xml