My dear Fox.

I received this morning the Game Chick, for which very hearty thanks & for all the very great & very disagreeable work in this line, which you have done for me.— I have now quite a grand collection of chicken, & shall be able to ascertain how far the young really do differ proportionally with the old.—² I did write, immediately after I got your last note, to M^rs. Wilmot³ to thank her. The bones of the old gentleman will soon be cleaned.—

With respect to the old Birds, please observe that I can get excellent game, so that all I want are, first rate, old cocks. diag 1. Dorking

2. Cochin

3. Call Duckramme especially the last.—

I go slowly on accumulating facts;—what I shall do with, remains to be seen.—

I am very sincerely sorry to hear that you have been ill, & that your chest has been the peccant part. How most truly & sincerely do I wish that we did live nearer, or that either or both of us were more locomotive; it would be a very great pleasure indeed to see you here again, & learn wisdom from you of all kinds.—

I really have no news: the only thing we have done for a long time, was to go to Glasgow; but the fatigue was to me more than it was worth & Emma caught a bad cold. On our return we staid a single day at Shrewsbury & enjoyed seeing the old place.— I saw a little of Sir Philip (whom I liked much) & he asked me “why on earth I instigated you to rob his Poultry yard?”⁴ The meeting was a good one & the Duke of Argyll spoke excellently.—⁵

I had a letter some 2 months ago from Hore,⁶ who is settled, an old Batchelor, in Devonshire, & has given up Natural History, as he tells me.—

Farewell, my dear old friend. I do hope when next I hear, that you may be stronger. | Your’s affect^y. | C. Darwin

I have now diag Fan-tails

Pouters

Runts

!!! Jacobins !!!

Barbs

Dragons

Swallows

!!! Almond Tumblers !!!

!!!ramme