To W. E. Darwin 19 February [1881]1
My dear W.
It is very good of you to take so much trouble about the Cottages.2 & shall be extremely glad to put the whole affair in your hands.— I have signed & despatched the note to Mr Higgins.—3
Uncle Ras4 had got considerably better, but still in bed & Etty5 found him quite cheerful & talkative, but since then he has had a little return of fever & cannot eat much & I do not like this.
The Doctor maintained he was not much amiss— We go up next Thursday, so I shall then see him.—6 The Galtons & W. Marshall are coming here this evening & Margaret Shaen is here.—7
I have just worked in your Rhododendron case with good effect, & my experiments with paper triangles are progressing well. I feel almost sure that worms though blind can judge by touch accurately of the shape of a new object & drag it into their burrows in the best way & this must be intelligence & very surprising the whole case is to me.8
Your affect. Father | C. Darwin
Feb 19th Down.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Earthworms: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1881.
Summary
Uncle Erasmus is ill.
Thanks WED for his trouble about the cottages.
He has signed the note to Higgins.
CD has used WED’s Rhododendron case in Earthworms [p. 69].
Is using paper triangles in experiments on intelligence of worms.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13058
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- William Erasmus Darwin
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Houghton Library, Harvard University (Autograph File, D)
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13058,” accessed on 2 November 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13058.xml