From Thomas Russell to George Cupples 18 June 1869
Pitbladdo | Cupar Fife
18th June 1869
Dear Sir,
I am favoured with the note you referred to when I saw you yesterday.
I fear I can give you little, or I should say no information that can be of service to you in the enquiry you desire to make. As a matter of course in most of flocks, many Lambs die either at birth or shortly afterwards, and shepherds as a rule are not over communicative to their employer on these mishaps— I never ask my shepherd to give me exact numbers until the males have been castrated which is done in the month of May; this year on the 12th of May from 167 Ewes there survived Males 124. Females 112—1
Although this is no data I have always found that at weaning time there were more Males than Females.
It quite escaped me to talk about the Terrier Yesterday I do not wish “Dan” back as he leads the big dog astray. If you can get the “Cocker” we spoke of cheap, and let “Dan” assist the purchase it might be a good arrangement. I wont pay a large price for any dog at present, as I have been spending too much of my spare cash on horses &c of late!!!
Excuse this hurried note as I could not have written you for a day or two had I let this post escape
Yours truly | John Russell
CD annotations
Bibliography
Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.
Summary
On the proportion of sexes in lambs.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6786
- From
- Thomas Russell
- To
- George Cupples
- Sent from
- Pitbladdo
- Source of text
- DAR 86: 56–7
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp † (by CD)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6786,” accessed on 22 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6786.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 17