To John Tyndall 4 December [1878]1
Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.
Dec. 4th
My dear Tyndall
I am going to beg a favour of you.— The day before yesterday & today I observed (but perhaps the observation will prove erroneous) that certain sensitive plants were excited into movement, by a prolonged note on the bassoon & apparently more by a high than a low note.2 I want much for several reasons to verify or disprove this.— On asking Litchfield whether he had ever seen a Siren, he said that he had at one of your Lectures, & that he thought it was only a small box.3 If this is the case, (but not otherwise) could you without much trouble bring it here on Saturday, that I & my son Francis might see & hear it, so as to judge whether it wd. do for our plants; for in this case I would buy one, if this is possible. I do not suppose we could test its powers during one day, on Sunday.—4
Please observe if Litchfield is mistaken, & the Siren is a large or delicate instrument, I am not so utterly unreasonable as to ask you to bring it.
My dear Tyndall | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
DNB: Dictionary of national biography. Edited by Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee. 63 vols. and 2 supplements (6 vols.). London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1912. Dictionary of national biography 1912–90. Edited by H. W. C. Davis et al. 9 vols. London: Oxford University Press. 1927–96.
Summary
Has observed, perhaps erroneously, that certain plants were excited to movement by a prolonged high note on the bassoon. Would now like to try a siren and asks JT to bring one from the Royal Institution.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11771
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- John Tyndall
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 261.8: 27 (EH 88205965)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11771,” accessed on 19 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11771.xml
