From William Houghton 18 October 1867
Preston Rectory | Wellington Salop
Oct. 18. ’67.
Dear Mr. Darwin.
If you can spare 5 minutes, will you kindly inform me whether, if you can remember, your researches on the planarian worms satisfied yourself as to the existence, or absence, of a nervous system in these little beasts?1 Some German Naturalists ascribe to them a Nervous system.2 I have lately occupied myself with studying these annelids3—i e.—the common fresh water kinds—& can trace no appearance of the most rudimentary nervous system—spite of my utmost endeavours to find some gangliæ.4
It is hardly fair to trouble one whose hands are so full of work, & I apologise for this note.
I suppose we shall shortly have your new book.5 I think it a subject of congratulate that, in these days, any theories if well supported are likely to meet with fair discussion. At any rate we are making progress, despite the women & the parsons!
I hope to be in London next January, & to have the pleasure of once more seeing you at that time.6
Eyton goes on as usual. Have you seen his book on the osteology of Birds?7 Owen thinks Huxley has lately cribbed an idea from him.8
I sincerely trust your health improves, & with kindest regards I am | Yours most sincerely | W. Houghton
Charles Darwin Esq | &c &c
PS. | Some months ago I heard, indirectly from a medical man, of a supposed case of fertility in hybrids between the domestic fowl & pheasant—& took a long walk of 12 miles to see into the matter— All I found was that the hens may have occasionally been trod by the cock-pheasants, & that the supposed offspring were simply the result of a connection between the game fowl & the pheasant variety of the domestic cock. (Golden Spangled Hawks’—)
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Eyton, Thomas Campbell. 1867–75. Osteologia avium; or, a sketch of the osteology of birds. 1 vol. and 2 supplements. Wellington, Salop.: R. Hobson.
Huxley, Thomas Henry. 1867. On the classification of birds; and on the taxonomic value of the modifications of certain of the cranial bones observable in that class. [Read 11 April 1867.] Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (1867): 415–72.
Journal of researches: Journal of researches into the geology and natural history of the various countries visited by HMS Beagle, under the command of Captain FitzRoy, RN, from 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Henry Colburn. 1839.
Keynes, Richard Darwin. 2002. Fossils, finches and Fuegians: Charles Darwin’s adventures and discoveries on the Beagle, 1832–1836. London: HarperCollins Publishers.
Schultze, Max Johann Sigismund. 1856. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Landplanarien nach Mittheilungen des Dr. Fritz Müller in Brasilien und nach eigenen Untersuchungen von Dr. Max Schulze. Abhandlungen der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft zu Halle 4 (1856–7): 19–38.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Studying freshwater Planariae. Did CD find they had nervous systems?
News of T. C. Eyton and [William?] Owen.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5652
- From
- William Houghton
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Wellington, Salop
- Source of text
- DAR 166: 271
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5652,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5652.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 15